The Phoenix, The Flame and The Leaf of Mary J
by Fireflower19
Summary: An accident within a heist leads to misadventures with a pothead and a damn dirty pervert. Check out the angels' "high" flying craziness as they try to keep their wits about them. And don't forget to add a suicidal phoenix! *Adult Themes*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: D.N. Angel is not owned by me. Can you tell?

**)*(**The Phoenix, The Flame and The Leaf of Mary J**)*(**

By: Fireflower19

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The heist was going smoothly. The cops were all focused on keeping the parameter secure _around_ the old museum. Ha! They didn't realize that the dull brick building had already been infiltrated. A tall, lean figure paced steadily down a deserted hall, his shoes creating a gentle clack with each confident footfall.

"Idiots! When are they going to learn to up the level of alarms here?" Dark asked his Tamer out loud. "I mean, I'm here to seal tainted arts, but what if a truly bad thief was to come? He'd get away, too."

No voice answered that could be heard as the haughty teen made his way to a corner and turned, disappearing off the camera he didn't know was trained on him. Another caught on to him before he'd taken two more steps down the grey adjacent hallway. As lit blue eyes watched the screen, they began streaking with golden-amber.

Dark reached out with his black leather-gloved hand to press the "sweet spot" of the automated door in front of him. Even with the power off and the door locked it still went out of its way to open for him. He shut his luminous purple eyes and took a moment for himself, grinning with a slightly lopsided smile. This was just too easy. His lashes lifted up, revealing the laughter within his soul. This was his element! The slyness, the sneaking, the planning and tricks—all to get a rogue artwork and save an untold amount of unwitting people. Sometimes it felt so good to be the "bad guy".

He walked through the large entrance, his dark form surrounded and overwhelmed by a vast domed room. From the high dome, painted glass dimly colored the floor in spectacles from where moonlight seeped in, shining down with weak strength. It was magnificent. The architecture stood shadowed, bathed in darkness, its cream-colored walls broken into four equal parts by pure gold twining and glittering like moss up until it reached the ceiling. When he focused his eyes to the far side he could see what seemed to be faint snowflakes drawn all along the walls. They almost appeared to float down from the windows themselves, as the painted windows depicted rolling smoky clouds. A single shining star shone in the middle of each individual pane.

Whistling his amazement, he strode with confidence to the middle of the room. He looked around, puzzlement coming to his features as he slowly turned until he'd made a full, graceful circle. Clearly something was not where he was expecting it to be. The room itself was empty. He brought a gloved hand up to rub at his chin thoughtfully.

'Daisuke,' he called inside his head.

**'Yes?' **A disembodied voice answered him. Dark got the impression of amazed vermilion eyes turning to look back at him.

'I know I've done my part of the job right, but where is the statue?'

**'It's here. Has to be.'**

'I know that, but...never mind.' The thief just had an idea. He crossed his arms and looked straight up at the center of the ceiling. It had to be at least three stories tall, but there, within the darkened middle of the structure hanging from the gold, was a little red-gold statue of a bird.

"Well, hello there," Dark greeted, smiling up at it. He leaped from the floor and in a quick motion huge black wings fanned out from his back. The feathers spread as they tackled the still air around them with a heavy sound, trying to beat out a current enough to fly on. It took only a few large flaps to bring the thief rushing upwards where he grabbed onto the gold hanging from the ceiling, right next to where the bird statue was. The cute little thing couldn't be bigger than four inches total—from its slightly rounded head to its flowing tail feathers. It shown with an iridescent glow, almost as if red sparks were jumping off from it.

"It's definitely awake. We've got to make this quick, Daisuke," Dark said, in the most serious tone of the night. Delicately grabbing the statue, he plucked it off its hanging place, dropping it into a small brown pouch tied at his side. Letting go of the hanging gold of the ceiling, he flared open his wings. Instead of flapping to insure his slow descent, he used just a tiny bit of magic to create a cushion underneath his wings. With a satisfied smirk he tapped back down to the floor, giving a silent command for With to revert. Running for the door, he called out, "Make a good distraction!"

"Kyuu!"

**'Dark! You said we had to make this quick! We don't need a distraction to get the police all hyped up!'**

'I'm getting bored,' the thief reasoned. 'And, besides, if my calculations are correct, we will be needing that distraction.'

The purple haired thief couldn't stop grinning broadly as he pumped his arms and legs faster in an all out sprint. The cameras trained on him again, but there was no one watching the monitors this time. The commanding room's door was left wide open.

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	2. Chapter 2

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His tight-clothed form broke out of the darkness as he slid to the last of the rather large-paned windows lining the dismal hallway. _It's a bit cold_, he noted dimly as he pressed his face up against the glass. Two spotlights chose that moment to blare. Reeling backwards, blinded, his heart sped at a frightful pace.

"He's flying from off the roof, you imbeciles! Hurry!" Sergeant Saehara's voice boomed from outside on a loud speaker. Dark's lips twitched upward; here he thought he'd been busted. Using memory more than spotty vision, the purple-haired thief dashed right, exiting the hallway on a set of stairs. He quickly came up to the large double doors that marked the museum's entrance. Crouching low and off to the side of them, he waited for the perfect moment to make his escape. Which wouldn't be long. All the cops were distracted by With toward one side of the building. At least, most of them were. There were still a few pesky ones hanging around close by. Dark watched one of the police men tap his baton angrily into his palm.

A cold shiver started at the base of his spine and worked its way upwards. He turned on the toes of his boots, making a slight crunching sound with the light layer of grit on the tiles of the floor, and scanned the expansive room for the ominous aura he'd felt. He studied the Egyptian relics on his right, then looked farther back toward the strangely placed mammoth skeleton. It loomed huge and dark brown, but there was no sign of white. He quickly glanced left. There was an empty room cleared for an assortment of new antiques coming in the following morning. Clear shelves were already lined up in neat rows. Again, no sign of white. Purple eyes slid to the ceiling above. No one was hanging around up there. Then where?

Dark slowly stood to his full height and forced the grimace on his face to plaster into a smart-ass smirk. He'd known—had a feeling rather—that Krad was going to show himself tonight.

"Won't you come out? I know you're here," he called, and his voice echoed faintly. The police on the other side of the front doors turned confusedly at the voice inside, just as a pure white feather streaked through the room. Dark simply leaned at of its way. It struck right into the thick wall behind him like a dart. Purple eyes narrowed across the room dangerously, looking at where the feather had originated from.

A cop shined his flashlight in. It caught onto the white feather, making it gleam before going farther along and exposing the black material of Dark's sneaking suit.

_It didn't implode like usual. He's toying with me. Must have really ticked him off __this time. At least the distraction cleared most of the cops away. I have time to take this __to the skies with little risk to as few casualties as possible._

Outside, the cop with the light began shouting into a small, square radio on his shoulder, the other was busily unlocking the doors. The glass rattled as the cop was almost frantic to get in. Dark took a second to jump in front of the glass doors, fully revealing himself, and slapped hard with his palm near the cop's close, downward-tilted head. Alarmed, the young cop fell with a yelp and lost his set of keys, accidentally throwing them somewhere behind him in his shock. Dark gave him a toothy grin before spinning on his heel for a second choice of escape. His eyes constantly darted to and fro for angelic white.

He ran passed the aged mammoth skeleton, heading for the window near it. Just as he was about to touch it, something hummed under his fingers. He withdrew his hand. With an eyebrow raised, he carefully examined the seemingly harmless window. A thin wire traced the length of the framework. It was booby trapped! How strange. Was this the Commander's doing? What exactly did this trap do? Better yet, where was the electrical power source for it? Clearly an electrical current ran through it. Why was it working when he'd disabled all the circuit breakers? Without much time to ponder, he backtracked, sprinting past the mammoth again. Thankfully, there was still no further sign of Krad.

He took another set of steps, opposite of the ones he ran down not too long ago. He had one more escape plan before he ran out of good options. Most of the windows were heavily guarded on the outside, special orders from Satoshi Hiwatari himself. Nets were brought in for usage tonight, and Dark did not want to tangle with those. They left very few angles in which he could get away clean. _One more. One more chance to get out easily_, he thought as he jumped the last three steps to the top of the indoor stairs. Suddenly, the entry doors from below flung open, and the police made their presences known.

"Halt! Police! You are under arrest!"

They'd seen him practically fly up the stairs. Heavy thuds from two pairs of booted feet began running the polished floor. A second later they started climbing the stairs. By this time Dark was already worming into a vent duct. He pulled the metal cover back into the wall just as a narrow light beam speared through the room. Dust particles highlighted themselves inside the brightness as the two stirred around.

Dark wanted to scoot backwards farther into the air duct, but two very serious things were keeping him from doing so. First off, he hadn't gotten the chance to click the metal cover into place and was forced to hold it close to the wall as steadily as he could (he just hoped his fingers weren't too noticeable on the other side), and, secondly, if he moved he might make too much noise in the thin metal interior.

Light passed in-between the openings of the ventilated metal cover and he nearly dropped the thing to clatter onto the floor. He peered out, listening to the murmuring of the cops inside the room. Finally, they moved into a different room. Relief coursed through him strongly. Gently he clicked the covering into place and shimmied backward down the air duct.

'Guess Krad didn't want to reveal himself right in front of the police, eh, Daisuke?'

**'Guess not, but I was worried he would.'**

'I doubt he's finished tonight. We need to get outside and away before there are more people to chance getting in his way.'

Suddenly, a high-pitched song started up by his side, making the thief jolt so hard he thought his heart stopped. His head connected with the metal interior, adding to the noise echoing loudly; which sounded a lot like a chipmunk singing opera. Dark cursed as he brought a hand up to rub the top of his head. He took his other hand and fumbled at the brown pouch tied on his belt. Footsteps clacked close to the air duct and light illuminated everything. A radio squawked annoyingly. Dark cursed again, and threw himself backward into the duct, temporarily leaving the bird to continue its ruckus. Might as well, he was already busted.

As soon as the duct split into another direction, which wasn't but a few meters back, Dark was able to turn around and face forward. Sweat beaded his forehead and a look of utmost concentration was on his features. Police were filing into the building now, he could hear their steps echoing from everywhere, which was amazing considering the little bird was still singing so horribly. He hurried faster, turning right with the air duct. There was a soft crunch, and the horrid singing stopped abruptly. Dark froze, a look of terror paling his normally tan face as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

**'NO, NO, NO, NO!' **Daisuke chanted in a wail. **'THE POOR THING!'**

Dark arched up as best as he could in the small duct, reaching for the brown pouch that was partway underneath him.

_NO, NO, NO, NO! _Purple bangs fell in front of his eyes as he brought the pouch up to his face and opened it. Inside, crumpled at the very bottom, the little red-gold phoenix was curled, its tiny beady eyes closed.

"I killed it..." Dark whispered faintly. "It wasn't even a bad artwork and I killed it..."

He closed the pouch back with slightly numb fingers, barely noticing the sounds of the police doubling in their efforts of trying to catch him. Perhaps that clank up ahead was them attempting to block him in?

Daisuke's heart clenched in a silent sob. Dark became angry. Enough playing around, it was time to leave!

'With!' he mentally shouted to his familiar. With zoomed to him, meeting him in rabbit form inside the duct, and jumped onto his shoulder. Dark hurried to the exit. The opening loomed before them. He could see the trees in the distance, running together in the inky blackness of night. The cops were definitely close; the scent of one's Axe cologne was very strong. He bunched his muscles and shot forward, taking most of them by surprise. By another silent command, With transformed into his black wings. He rolled the short distance to the ground in front of them, then sprung up and leaped high, unfurling his wings with a sharp snapping sound.

Shouts were made, as well as gasps. Even one girly scream issued forth.

Just as he expanded his wings to their full span and flapped, a net shot out of nowhere to engulf him. Luminous purple eyes closed and teeth gritted together as the net wrapped around him tightly. With a bit of a grunt, someone pulled him back down to Earth. Dark secured the pouch in his hand, and angled to where he'd land the fall on his back, bringing the phoenix to his chest to protect the already smashed bird from further harm.

The cops surrounded him, batons raised for if he tried to escape.

"Phantom Thief Dark, you are hereby under arrest for multiple cases of breaking and entering, and robbery, the latest of–"

The hefty cop didn't get to finish as Dark vanished into wisps of shadow. The glow of purple from his eyes seemed to hover behind angrily for a few seconds, piercing and rooting all to their spots. Everyone stood there, encircling an empty net for a good five minutes before any one of them could pull their mouths closed. A girly one fainted, dropping like a stone as a tiny breath passed from his lips and his eyes rolled white.

**-.-**

Dark arrowed through the night sky and flew over an unfamiliar wooded area just outside of Azumano. He wasn't ready to go home and tell Emiko that he'd killed the artwork she'd sent him to steal, not after it was the first of the Hikaris in a long time not to possess evil intentions. He faced the dark pinks, purples, and blues of the night sky, and lifted his head to gaze at the stars streaming above him. The wind felt free and cold, but barely joyous. The cute little phoenix was dead, and it was all his fault. He tipped the bird into his palm, letting the breeze take the pouch away. Dainty red-gold feathers littered over his hand before being swept away by the wind. The precious bird was curled on its left side, wings sprawled at awkward angles, and its thin legs drawn close to it. The small, slightly curved beak was cracked open, eyes tightly shut. Oh, how he regretted not being more careful!

"You were a beautiful phoenix, and a classic fire phoenix at that," he said quietly. His face took on a pained expression, then suddenly, it was as if a light bulb turned on above his head. He looked back down at the bird in his palm, giving a perplexed expression this time.

"Wait a minute—phoenixes can't die. And fire-based ones are continually reborn from their own ashes."

With a great whoosh the bird in his hand suddenly caught fire.

**'What in blazes, Batman!' **Daisuke yelled. The comment dumbfounded Dark long enough to suffer a burn before he slung the fireball away. It was heading for the trees way below. Great. It was probably going to start a forest fire now. Everything was a little dry since it hadn't rained in a while.

Dark griped, "Could you have picked a better time to make a weird comment?"

**'Sorry. I was just happy it was still alive... Is it still alive?'**

Dark tucked in his black wings and dived for the fireball. The thing was already so far ahead of him that there was no way he was going to...what? Catch it? That flaming thing? Yeah, right!

So, why was he chasing after it?

The flame died out and a little chick began squeaking into the night air as it fell at an alarming rate. The phantom thief kicked it into high gear, specially angling his wings further like a brown pelican's before it plunges into the water. He wasn't designed for this, but he did not want that phoenix to hit the groud, especially after he registered what was planted in abundance beyond the trees.

"Oh, shit!"

**'Dark! We're not going to reach him in time!' **Daisuke shouted. He didn't know why the certain plant Dark had spotted made the thief so apprehensive.

"Daisuke?"

**'Yes, Dark?'**

"I'm sorry. I'm about to ruin your perfect record as far as trying drugs are concerned."

**'What?' **

"Wait!" Dark yelled, getting an idea. The wind snatched the word out of his mouth. As fast as he could without tearing his wings off, he came out of the dive and drew a long black feather to his hand. Steadying himself, the feather glowed violet, and so did the falling chick. The descent of the little bird slowed, finally stopping. With great effort, he traveled as shadow, nearly teleporting to capture the bird before it could fall again.

"Phew~" he whistled. The little red-gold chick turned to him and chirped happily, then it jumped off his hand to continue its decent.

"Whoa! You darn suicidal bird!" Dark shouted, plucking it from mid-air. "Do you like bursting into flames?" he asked it incredulously. It chirped excitedly, and tried to jump again. He cupped his hands securely around it. The chick squirmed and the little head poked through his fingers. It opened its beak in retaliation, and sung that high-pitched opera again. It was much worse and louder this time. Dark's vision went cross. He felt himself falling and quickly dropped the bird to recover. The red-gold blur streaked downwards, a happy grin tilting its beak as mirth played in its beady deep-blue eyes.

"Come back! ...Oh, no..." Dark mumbled as he watched the little bird tumble to the darkened trees far below. When the little phoenix hit, it burst into flames, then reformed from its ashes, only to hit another branch and burst into flames again. Delighted squeaks filled the air after each hit.

**'It really enjoys killing itself!'** Daisuke was in total shock. So was Dark. _That has got to hurt._

"I tell you, there is always _something _wrong with an Hikari artwork! GET BACK HERE!" he yelled after it, going headlong into another nosedive.

What sort of thing craved dying over and over? Maybe it didn't have pain receptors? Maybe to it the flames tickled instead of burn? Still, the Hikari made this one very crazy indeed!

Dark lost sight of it until it gave off another burst of flames. Stopping at the beginnings of the trees, Dark looked to where he'd last seen the fireball. _WHOOSH! _It happened a little lower this time.

"DARK!" a very familiar voice yelled threateningly across the sky. Dark turned in horror and saw white coming at him. There was no time to defend as a blast of golden energy hit him and pushed him roughly down into the trees. Thick, gray smoke curled lazily past him, rising upwards. Dark laughed, sounding almost evil.

"This is going to be one wild ride! PREPARE TO GET HIGH!"

He couldn't see Krad's face as he fell and branches closed around the open sky.

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	3. Chapter 3

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Krad hovered in midair, his normal white garments billowing from the wind as he watched the kaito disappear past the thin tree limbs. His long, gold-spun hair waved at a feverish pace high on his right as his golden feline eyes narrowed and glinted. The crack of fragile tree limbs was heard as somewhere below him Dark was righting himself and stopping his fall.

Surely what Dark had shouted out almost blissfully a moment before was a concocted lie of some sort. It had caused Satoshi to still quite suddenly in the back of their shared mind with a small gasp. What exactly had he meant by "get high"? And, why was Satoshi suddenly not so pensive about letting him fight?

"Mousy, what are you up to?" Krad whispered to himself. Wispy—yet getting more opaque by the second—smoke lazily curled past the tree tops. He moved, trying to see down far enough to catch sight of the purple-haired thief, but it was no use; Dark blended in too well. He'd have to go down there to find him.

Dark stood on one of the bigger branches, ripping one of his already-torn sleeves off. He took the length of material and held it around his nose and mouth. The less he had to breathe in of the intoxicating smoke the better, but he feared this wouldn't really help much. He could be down here awhile looking for the minuscule red-gold phoenix chick. Getting high wasn't something he necessarily wanted, but seeing Krad get high might make the experience worth it. He just hoped that whoever tended to the marijuana wasn't around close enough to see some of it burning. They might come defend it raging with a shotgun!

A slight change in the direction of smoke, along with the light sound of rustling feathers warned of Krad's approach. Dark leaned to the trunk of his tree, and curved his black wings around his body. It was almost impossible to make him out. The thief stilled his breathing, going as stationary as a statue, also calming the magic that always wanted to roar to the forefront whenever his reflection was so near. He couldn't have his shimmering, almost-glowing eyes reveal his hiding spot, so this dulled them to a mostly normal radiance.

Krad's figure came close by briefly and went on, his wings drawing in a little closer than normal due to the close proximity of the woods. A ways ahead, Krad landing on another thick branch. His moon-white skin shone brilliantly as lunar light shined on him. The hunter turned around to look back in Dark's direction. Krad was scanning his part of the woods intently, obviously sensing the kaito was close by even if he couldn't see him. How was Dark suppose to find the phoenix now with his counterpart hot on his tail? What was he going to do, wait until either he or Krad succumb to the effects of the burning marijuana?

He grinned behind the piece of cloth held to his face.

Well, he did strongly believe that he was physically more tolerant than Krad. This could prove highly amusing... Or it could prove a fatal disaster. One, or the other.

Bright feral eyes searched all the dark trees in front of him. His opposite was very close, and being very sneaky about it. Krad brought a gloved hand up to cover both his nose and mouth. The smoke was most unpleasant. He easily walked a bit of the branch and flared out his wings, fanning some of the heavier wisps away, but it would be smothering before too long. Perhaps he should just find the stolen artwork and force Dark out that way.

Dark wanted to laugh, but that wouldn't be a good idea. It was just so funny watching Krad and knowing that any minute now something was going to happen to the hunter. He could still only imagine the look of horror on the blond's face when he realized he was losing control of himself and getting high. See, Krad has a very bad tendency to _always _want to be in control. His opposite probably didn't even know what a "buzz" felt like. Soon, very soon, he would feel so much more than just a mere "buzz" and Dark was waiting for it. _Hurry_, he thought, _I think I might be getting giddy._

Krad stepped off his branch and flapped, returning to flight. Dark, with his nose and mouth still firmly covered, watched the hunter with curiosity. Why was Krad heading away from him?

The hunter rounded some trees, and then suddenly landed quickly and awkwardly. He looked like he was slipping on the crooked branch he'd taken to. White wings flapped ecstatically, and the hunter clumsily started hugging the tree, trying not to fall. Dark burst out laughing. How could he not? Krad, still in plain sight, turned toward his voice and growled viciously. It nearly cost him, though, as he about fell again. Dark started howling and dropped his protective piece of cloth, his sides close to stitches. Such sweet, sweet payback!

Krad was mad. Why was his perception so off? Now the kaito was mocking him and enjoying his foolish show. Krad released the tree trunk, only to slip again and have to catch and firmly wrap around the top of the branch he had been standing on instead. He pressed his cheek to the cold bark with a scowl, watching as Dark's intense laughter revealed where he'd been hiding.

Something was not right. Krad was feeling strange. He quickly tried to assess what all was wrong: Coordination was severely off, muscles felt awkward, there was pressure building behind his eyes, his heart rate was higher than normal, and he felt "lighter". His thoughts were also trickling like water and getting hard to hold on to. _It has to be the smoke. _He gave a frustrated groan. Drugs were very effective because of his bird-like heritage. He had no choice but to leave. Now.

Blond hair spilled over his countenance as he lifted himself up and untangled from his branch. He focused on the white of his gloves while grabbing the tree and slowly, unsteadily stood up. Something laid heavy within his chest: Fear mingled with a touch of sadness. He didn't want to be this out of control of himself. His face lost the scowl, and was replaced with a look of concern. His eyes flashed a bit of his inner fear. What exactly was this drug going to do to him? He stumbled and caught himself, and tried to face in Dark's direction to see what the kaito was up to.

Dark was wrapped around his own branch, just like he'd been a minute ago, and his shoulders were shaking from laughter. Krad could no longer hear the annoying noise and supposed that the thief was making an effort in trying to stop. Purple hair moved, revealing a sharp angled face shining with tears. Dark was really enjoying this, whereas Krad was more spooked than he could recall being in a very long time. Dark opened his eyes and met with Krad's. He tried standing, but flopped right back down. Hysterical laughter crowed, echoing throughout the woods. Krad watched with growing amusement. Why this was even amusing he couldn't fathom.

Dark's wings started beating on either side of him, the sight adding emphasis to the fist beginning to hammer at the wood beneath him. Soon, his branch was bobbing up and down, and the thief lost his balance, slipping from it. Somehow, he landed neatly on his butt to the next branch below, his face frozen in quiet wonder. He glanced up at the branch that was still bobbing crazily right above his head in question, and tilted his face, puzzled, toward Krad. This was so unexpected to Krad that his laughter rang out of him for the first time. The sound echoed around like Dark's had and this quickly shut the outburst up. He pressed his gloved hand to his mouth with wide eyes.

Dark closed his reddening eyes and smirked, swaying lightly side-to-side in the wind that made it through the woods. Maybe Krad would loosen up after this experience and not hate every human for just existing. And, maybe pigs would fly. Dark's numbing mind cautioned him to watch where his thoughts focused to. He might just start hallucinating that pigs had wings. He burst out laughing again. He stopped to listen as different laughter joined his own. Whether Krad wanted to or not, he was laughing and helpless to stop.

_Gotta hand it to him_, thought Dark, as the hunter's second outburst was shorter than the first, _he's determined. _

Krad managed to give Dark a look that could kill if only he could get his slippery magic back under control. Dark was unfazed by the currently empty threat, and crossed his legs on top of his branch. He raised a hand into the air and curled his fingers at Krad, gesturing for the hunter to come to him with unspoken challenge—if the other could. Angered, white feathers stood on end and feral eyes gleamed a bright yellow in their reddening whites. He did a good job of marching, and found that if he focused hard enough, maybe even flight was still possible. The hunter took off, his gracefulness lost to be replaced by the straightforwardness of a raging bull.

And he was just as fast as one.

The two clashed, the thud of slamming bodies rung out, along with the snaps of wings thwacking repeatedly. They spiraled down in a tumbling ball of tangled limbs, only stopping when they hit and were jolted apart by a gnarled, twisted branch. Wood splintered, and a yell filled the night sky. With a heavy crash, both teens slammed into the ground. One lay unmoving, and the other grabbed a handful of crinkled leaves before fainting.

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	4. Chapter 4

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A couple of hours later, a stumbling figure with wings emerged from the woods. Being too dark to see, it was hard to tell what exactly the other was carrying. About the only thing you _could_ see clearly was this glowing red-gold chick merrily hopping along after the figure. Up ahead a short distance in front of this figure a set of railroad tracks shined in the moonlight. Loose gravel lined the sides of the tracks, and it was on this that the figure tripped. Rather than dropping his cargo, he landed on his butt. It kinda stung. The moonlight revealed the stoned countenance of Dark Mousy as he looked down in his lap at his still counterpart.

The white angel had a gray tint to his lunar glazed face. His eyes were closed and he looked almost peaceful, but he hadn't responded once since the fall and that was most troublesome; he'd been the one that had yelled out. Dark had recovered from his fainting spell fairly quickly, and had immediately set about putting out the relatively small fire around them, vanquishing the starter of the intoxicating smoke. Unfortunately, the rolling grey mass had lingered for a little while. On the bright side, he'd found the phoenix plopped right where it had fallen near the beginnings of the fire.

He sat on the cold, hard ground, thankful that they'd finally made it out of the woods. It'd been a long trek, and not a very good one. He was tired, and it was so hard to focus. After his opposite didn't suddenly wake up and continue trying to kill him, Dark knew he probably needed help, but it wasn't like he could drop Krad off at the nearest hospital. Since when did he care about the hunter, though? Had Daisuke's friendly bond to Satoshi finally found root within his own heart? Dark pressed one black-gloved hand to his eyes and rubbed. Speaking of Daisuke, the little guy was currently tripping badly. Let's just say drugs and Daisuke don't mix.

It was cold, especially after having put that fire out a while back, but Dark fumbled with the zipper of his sneaking suit, regardless. He took off the top portion, revealing a naked chest, and turned the thinnish thing inside-out to where the warm insulated side shown. Folding it, he put it on the ground, then lifted his counterpart off his lap and laid his golden head down on the material. With this done, he began checking the blond over in the moonlight. Almost instantly a knot was found toward the back of his head. So that was why Krad had yelled and refused to move since. Well, he couldn't be absolutely sure, but considering their fast healing rate and tolerance to injury, he'd have to say that Krad would live. He would wake up with a hell of a headache, but he'd live. Served him right after he knocked them both out of the trees like that.

Dark moved away and shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. It was probably even colder than his numbed mind was registering. He was going to have a cold tomorrow. The sheen of sweat cooling on his skin farther supported this theory. Surprising him, a weird sort of growling whimper came from Krad. The blond twisted to his side, then used both hands to push himself into a sitting position. His white wings lifted high, then folded closely along his back. The long feathers of them bent against the surface of the ground.

Dark stiffened. Krad had recovered quicker than he'd expected.

Sensing him, Krad spun, turning bloodshot narrowed eyes to look at him. Dark jumped back, rolling once across the ground, falling over himself in his messed up state. A snarl and a flopping sound hinted at Krad falling over also. Dark hoisted himself up with a grin, a few reddish-brown leaves stuck to him. A few yards away, Krad wasn't looking so high and mighty... Well, okay, he looked high. He was also giving off the impression of a cornered animal. Shaky golden-amber eyes peered right into his luminescent purple ones, and then trailed downward to his exposed chest. A furious blush spread through gray-tinted cheeks.

"What the–" Krad began.

"What?" Dark cut in, already defending himself, blushing also.

"Don't you dare!" Krad hissed, jumping up and stumbling over gravel. His feet knocked into the train tracks and he fell in the middle of them.

"Don't dare what?" Dark questioned, getting indignant.

A dirty white glove grabbed the metal of the train tracks, and messy blond hair came into view, followed by a smudged and angry face.

"What do you think you're doing topless?" Krad spat.

"What do you think your problem is, huh? Did you notice what you were laying on?"

Golden eyes glanced to the black material on the ground, then back to Dark's face.

"You're welcome," Dark sneered.

Quietness fell for all of a minute, then a simple, single word was said so softly: "Why?" Krad asked.

The meek tone was so unexpected coming from his opposite, that Dark turned and regarded him with scrutiny. Krad didn't look as if he was in his usual "killer mode", but somewhat gentle and lost. If that was possible for Krad. _It's probably just the marijuana_, Dark thought, _or maybe the knot on back of his head scrambled some of his brains._

"Did you hit your head too hard?" One perfect, purple eyebrow rose.

"Shut up, Mousy."

"That's more like it!" Dark laughed, then sneezed. He looked annoyed and glanced forlornly over at his sneaking suit top. A suppressed snorted giggle made its way to his ears. Krad was leaning his forehead on the ice cold metal in front of him, a smile on his face. He quickly got himself back under control. "Ugh! I HATE this feeling!"

Dark grinned. "What? Does laughter kill you?"

"It feels like it is." Krad looked up, a bit confused at his own open honesty. Dark wasn't too surprised by the truthful admission. Marijuana has the effect to make one more open. Back in WW2 it had been used as a truth serum. He laid back, arms spread wide and let the drug reign free. _Might as well enjoy this. _So wonder all his wits hadn't already gone before hand. He didn't even feel like he could stand up anymore, hence the reason his sneaking suit top was still on the ground a few yards away. Absentminded sounding, Krad asked, "Is that an earthquake?"

"Hmm?" Dark hadn't caught the question.

"Is that an earthquake?" Krad repeated, studying the railroad tracks. "There are vibrations over here," he said slowly. Dark returned to a sitting position as he, too, started noticing them. A bright light was glittering down at the far end of the train tracks, and the blond couldn't seem to understand what was going on. Sadly, Dark wasn't understanding the obvious either.

"Is that a ghost?" Dark asked, squinting at the light in the distance.

"I do not know," Krad answered, gaping at it. He blinked rapidly as if to clear his vision. "I cannot tell."

"Must be mighty powerful to cause the earth to quake," Dark said, turning toward his swaying opposite. "Bet it's coming for you. What'd you do to piss it off so much?" Krad swiveled his head to face Dark, nearly falling over again.

"I am not sure," he said fearfully. "Humans can get disturbed over the smallest of things."

Dark looked wide-eyed at Krad. "You mean you've done so much stuff that you're not sure who all is wanting you dead?"

"Dark, I have known a lot of people over many lifetimes." Krad gave him a deadpanned expression.

"Well, that explains it. No one can know you and not hate you."

"That was mean." Krad looked down a bit sorrowfully. The shaking was getting worse.

"You asked for it. Set up perfectly for it, too," Dark chuckled.

"Shut up, Mousy."

"I really wish all this shaking would stop," Dark called loudly out in the direction of 'the ghost'.

"I hope you diverted its attention to you," Krad griped. Suddenly, a piercing whistle cut through the air, making both angels jump harshly.

"What the hell was that?" Krad put a hand over his heart.

"I think it's mad," Dark stated dumbly.

"I think you are the new target," the hunter jeered.

"Somehow, I highly doubt that," Dark returned with a single finger held up.

"Why?"

"Don't know." Dark rubbed the back of his head in thought, looking down at the tracks that Krad was still sitting in the middle of. He brought his hand around and gestured toward them. "But, I think it has something to do with these." Krad looked down at the tracks, then at Dark and slowly blinked.

"You might be right."

The whistle sounded again, extremely loud. The train was looming ever closer. The bulky form was completely distinguishable now. Both angels regarded it.

"What is that?" Krad questioned.

"I told you, I think it's a ghost."

"It is big." Krad raised a hand to his face. "And bright."

"Whoa!" Dark gushed. Krad looked over at him. "Whoa!" Dark repeated, caught in whatever it was that he was caught in.

"What?"

"I just noticed that a train is trying to eat the ghost." Dark turned in disbelief to Krad.

Krad looked at him questioningly. "I did not know trains could do that."

"Me either. Cool!" Dark chirped.

"That is strange," Krad said.

"What?" Purple hair waved as the thief quickly gazed back at him.

"Something is telling me I should move... Never mind. It shut up again."

"Maybe you should move," Dark spoke seriously.

"Huh?"

"Well, this is the first time in a while that we've gotten to talk. I don't want a ghost that's getting its butt eaten by a train to get you."

It took a moment for what logic there was in that statement to click. Finally: "That was the oddest sentence I have ever heard...and, kinda...nice."

Purple eyes glittered before their owner shut them and sneezed. "Gah! It's freezing!"

"You have only just noticed?" Gold mocked purple.

"Stew it!"

"Stew does sound good. I am actually very hungry."

"Not what I meant!"

The clicking and clacking of train wheels began getting deafening. Funny how neither one distinguished the noise until it was so close. A dirty white glove reached over and picked up the sneaking suit top. Krad had to try a few times, but he finally stood up and crossed the tracks. "Here," he said down to the phantom thief, as he stood beside him. Dark grabbed it and fumbled with getting it on the correct way.

"Are you an impostor?" he asked Krad, once he stood as well. Krad didn't answer as they both began something that closely resembled walking away together. The train chose that moment to blast past them, roaring an awful commotion. Somehow the two had managed to forget about it.

"YIKES!" Dark hollered, falling over from the wind that stirred from the huge metal contraption. Krad stood ramrod stiff, too stunned to say anything. By the time the short train was finished, Krad looked about ready to faint. Dark rolled to his back on the grass and looked up, watching Krad's stunned expression with concern. After another minute, Krad twitched and moved. Suddenly, it was raining white feathers, and the thief was getting pelted by them.

"Oh my..." Dark said in a low tone. He glanced to what remained of the other's wings. They resembled a plucked chicken's. Mind you, a large plucked chicken's. Dark nearly busted a gut. He rolled from side-to-side on the ground, holding his stomach with both arms. His mouth was wide open in laughter, but he was laughing so hard that no sound was coming out.

"T-this isn't f-funny!" Krad stuttered, still trying to recover. Anger began to blaze in his eyes as he watched the thief.

Insane laughter finally filled the night. Once it died down some, Dark howled out: "It scared you so bad, you molted all at once! I can't believe it!" Dark face-palmed and kept laughing. Humiliated, Krad turned red.

"Try—flapping—t-them," Dark managed to say between tears.

"Are you a complete idiot?"

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**A/N: My Tiger helped me with this one. Haha! I think you should blame the train we both heard last night for this. **

**All right, I need help. If anyone has ideas for this story, please let me know, otherwise this may be the end. Funny to me doesn't come so naturally, but I find it ****helps when others get the ball rolling. Everything goes by itself after that. Don't be shy! Any and all ideas, random or not, are welcomed! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I must thank Dawns Eternal Twilight, Katherine Daystar, and my loving mother for the ideas that came in to save this story. I also must apologize. A rather monstrous plot bunny refused to get out of my way, so I was forced to make this chapter before I could use many of the great ideas that were given. Sorry! I'll have the next chapter with them all! In the meantime, please enjoy. And, thank you! **

**-****)*(****-**

Krad's newly bare wings were quickly freezing. The delicate limbs weren't made to openly withstand harsh elements. Was it possible to have icicles form off them? The darn things were already turning numb, losing most of his body heat and...were they turning blue on their tips? Perfect. Dark stood back up after all his laughter, watching as Krad put his arms around himself and shivered. Chicken wings trembled violently and drew closer to his back, tangling in his messy, blond ponytail. Dark felt unnaturally sympathetic for the poor guy.

"Come on, we better get moving and find some shelter." '_Cause I really can't make it back home. _Dark turned around and began walking slowly to ensure that he didn't trip. Which didn't help much; he still fell over the railroad tracks. Black wings lifted crookedly into the air. "Oh, that was fun!" he said sarcastically to himself, with his chin buried in the surrounding loose gravel.

"D-didn't look l-like i-it," Krad replied, shivering even worse. Dark glanced at him. His teeth were chattering, though he was trying to hide it. It made his lips tremble violently. His eyes were glazed over, and his expression was weird. He looked out of it and more than dazed.

"I can assure you it was very fun. Care to try?" the purple-haired thief asked, mockingly polite. Gold eyes slid away from purple ones. Krad honestly did not want to fight now. Letting it go, Dark stood up and offered his hand to the hunter in an effort to help him cross.

"Let's go," he said.

Krad must have not realized how different this was of him, or maybe he trusted the thief enough to get them through the effects of the marijuana safely, but he took the other's outstretched hand. Dark pulled him up the small hill of loose gravel, and guided him over the shiny tracks. They both leaned a bit dangerously, but managed to stand side-by-side again, clacking both pairs of boots on top of a wooden plank.

"Gosh, Krad, your hand is ice!" Dark dropped the other male's hand. Krad looked as if he was trying to keep emotion off his features and didn't respond. Instead, he just shuffled on for the other side of the tracks. Knowing something was wrong, Dark followed...as quickly as he could. It seemed as if Krad was having an easier time walking than him. What was his secret? Was Dark just trying to focus too much while Krad was just going with the flow? Maybe he was lost in it? Maybe he was seeing things? Maybe he was tripping?

"Krad?" Dark called, catching up close behind. An open grass field was before the two, and a small, two-story wooden cottage was visible a distance away. It appeared perfectly homey except for the black windows; no lights were on inside.

"Krad, what's the matter?"

The blond shook his head at the question and kept on walking, finally stumbling once. Being so close, Dark bumped into him, but somehow they both managed to stay upright.

"Tell me!" Dark prodded, close to Krad's left shoulder. Without warning Krad stopped, standing completely still. Dark plowed into him. This time they fell head over heels, rolling before it was done. "Ow!" he yipped, opening his eyes, and strongly smelling the damp grass around them. Something white was cushioning underneath him. He quickly lifted to his knees, getting off of Krad's chest and hovered beside him. The pale, grass-stained face bunched in the typical just-been-squished look, but he half-opened one glassy, golden orb to peer at the bumbling kaito.

"Oops," the purple-haired teen grinned before looking away. Krad sat up, his clothes now damp due to the dewy grass, and hunched over for much needed warmth. One bare wing tapped against Dark's shoulder. Dark took to his hands and knees, looking to see Krad's expression and eyes. His face was covered by shadow, but the other could see it just fine. Krad really did appeared out of it; not at all like his usual self. Dark got up and hoisted the other to his feet. Krad scrunched his face.

"Krad, what's wrong?" Dark asked again. The hunter took a deep and somewhat shaky breath. For a minute Dark thought he was going to be ignored again, but, "I am...seeing things," Krad reluctantly informed. The ashen face tried to relax, and shadowed gold turned to look at him.

"It's okay. Were almost to the cottage," Dark said, pointing over his shoulder to the small cottage less than a quarter mile out. "You can trip in there."

"Damn you! I do not like this! I am seeing and feeling things I should not be!" Krad exclaimed.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't be so haunted if you weren't so evil! I know we didn't ask to be brought into this world, but neither did anyone else! You should cherish what you have, and if you'd respect your Tamer more, you'd see the good to be thankful for! No, we don't share perfect lives, but being evil is too damn easy! So..." said the thief, calming his rant, "happy good, anger bad." Golden orbs blinked in disbelief, then an unnerving smile broke out across the angel's face. Krad laughed loudly, only quietening down slowly.

"You think it is that easy? That you can just say all that and make everything clear—make everything better?" A slap resounded in the night. Krad held a hand to one red cheek in shock. Dark was breathing hard, as if he'd been running. He also looked very angry.

"You!—know!—better! You know life isn't a game! Life is worth living and it's worth having others around! Mistakes do get made, and sometimes it seems more like the world is evil and you think 'what the heck! Let me be evil, too'! But, there is power in good, Krad. Far more power and comfort! Yet you ruin it for yourself by not being a part of the bigger picture! You don't have to be alone, you know. You don't have to look at everything with hate. Things can be better..." Dark trailed off, suddenly standing straighter. He put his back to Krad. "Let's just go," he said, and walked off.

Emotions bombarded Krad. Dark was right; things from what he'd done in the past did haunt him. His own feelings weren't making sense anymore, yet there was some sense to what Dark had just yelled. Was Krad changing? Or was he just mixed-up and riding a high? The hunter wasn't sure. He removed his hand from his cheek and walked after Dark. Wasn't long before they were both at the cottage. It was much bigger up close. Dark turned to him.

"No one's home. We can go in the front door." It was as if their earlier fight hadn't taken place at all. Dark's face bore no sign of hatred, and for some reason this relieved Krad.

"Must be a seasonal home, then," Krad said, as he stepped up the good-sized porch. His now off-white boots clacked as he walked across for the front door. He gave a side-glance to a nice porch swing that was all the way on the far end. Immediately he disregarded the idea of sitting on it. He didn't feel like tripping worse on the swinging motions of it. He still felt woozy and just wanted somewhere to rest peacefully. Give a few more minutes he would be inside on something that did not move, and hopefully in the morning he'd be back to his normal self.

He stopped at the door. A puzzled expression came to his face as he discovered something. He didn't really want this feeling to end right now. Yes, he did feel weird and out of touch with himself, but at the same time he felt freer. Maybe there was some good to this. He twisted around for Dark and smiled.

"If you don't pick this I'm going to blast it open."

"Give me a minute! I'm not having as easy a time of walking as you are!"

Messily spiked purple stood before slightly frizzed gold. Picking the lock was a lot harder than it should have been. It wasn't even a deadbolt, but the thief couldn't work the doorknob to his favor. After a minute of extreme patience, Krad lost it and bumped him aside. He tried to channel energy to his open hand, but it only sputtered.

"Hey!" Dark shouted. "Touch me again with that chicken wing and I'm going to bite it!"

"I didn't touch you with my wing," Krad said, losing more focus on his energy.

"You did too! It was like getting smacked in the face with a frozen popsicle!" At this, Krad lost all control of energy.

"I hate you," he laughed, unable to help it before quickly recovering his temper, shouting, "Screw it!" and kicking the door in. It flew off its hinges. Dark peered inside the cottage. "You know," he said, "I did tell you there was power in good. Guess that proves it. That, and you just ruined my perfect record."

"What record?" Krad walked in to find a nice, warm towel.

"My record of sneaking—you've left evidence." Dark gazed at the dangling hinges and the cracked door on the floor.

The place was airy and dark, but the wooden walls ranged in all colors of rich brown. The first floor was one large room with a big walk-in kitchen built on the left-hand side. A fireplace sat in the middle, which marked the beginning of the living-room. A semi-closed door was under a case of stairs on the far right. Dark figured that's where Krad had disappeared too. The place smelled of rich pines and lemon grass; a nice wild scent. Red-wooden frames depicted grazing deer and flying ducks along the shadowed walls. On the mantle above the fireplace, a small silver-framed picture of a husky was on display. _Must be the owner's dog_, thought Dark with a smile. He was glad not to see any stuffed animals here. This person was a true nature lover.

Dark crossed the hardwood floor and a green and white handwoven rug to start a fire. It wasn't as cold as the outside, but it was still cool. By the time Krad got out of the restroom, Dark already had a bright fire going and was in the kitchen fixing something to eat.

"What are you doing?" he asked softly. Dark nearly bumped his head on the double-doored refrigerator trying to get out of it.

"Sheesh! Do you have to sneak up on somebody?"

"I did nothing out of the ordinary. It is not my fault if food is of a higher priority than me."

"Whatever." Dark promptly stuck his head back into the open stainless steel doors, then stuck his head back out again to look at Krad. He was in a white undershirt with form-fitting white pants. It looked like what he might wear under his normal attire. But, this isn't what caught the thief's interest.

"You got rid of your wings."

"Yes. Might as well have."

"Why didn't you do it sooner, then?"

"It is difficult to get everything in working order when your magic will not listen to you."

"Ah." He put his head back in the fridge. "You know, I found out this isn't a seasonal home. The fireplace was ready to be lit, and there are plenty of perishable foods in here that are still way within date. We need to leave asap."

"In the mean time, you are raiding their food, huh?"

"Aren't you hungry? I thought about making some sandwiches, but soup sounds better. Maybe both?"

An exuberant feeling swelled inside Krad. Why was this a welcoming circumstance to him? He normally hated people, yet the thought of someone busting back in on the two of them raiding the fridge was kind of hilarious. Where was his normal bitterness? This was confusing...and empty. Dark's presence was actually welcome to help fill this temporary void. Maybe he should just stop questioning it.

"Clean up, I will fix everything," he volunteered. The kaito's rumpled, dirty, grass-stained appearance was plainly highlighted within the light of the refrigerator. A wheel of cheese smacked the floor and the thief just did jump out of its way in time. "Darn, that was unexpected." Dark watched the cheese roll away, then looked up at Krad.

"I don't think I trust you enough with my food to up and leave."

"That is right, I forgot. I am the smart one that happens to know all about poisons and can make one out of thin air." Krad crossed his arms. Dark appeared traumatized.

"Stop that, Krad," Dark demanded.

"Excuse me?"

"Just stop! You're acting too much like me with the sarcasm. It's scary!"

"Did you forget that we are reflections of one another?" Krad smirked.

"Whatever!" Dark said, throwing his hands up into the air. "I'm going, but I'm not eating anything you fix, period!" With that, the purple-haired teen disappeared passed the fireplace, his shadow lengthening along the walls before the bathroom door slammed closed.

Iridescent gold shifted to the darkened corner where the wheel of cheese had stopped. He wasn't going to be bothered with that. He shook blond hair out of his face and stepped to the racks of food.

Dark couldn't have taken more than five minutes, but that was enough time to have a can of soup warming and the beginnings of two sandwiches made. Unlike Satoshi, Krad liked stacked sandwiches, not just bread.

"I told you I wasn't—"

"Shut up, Mousy."

Rolling his eyes to a chair, Dark glanced over at With. Like Krad, he had decided to put his wings away. Poor With was messed up, though. His familiar was just sitting statue still, staring at the flickering flames in the fireplace. Dark glanced back at Krad and really took a minute to study what was going on.

He gaped. "This is too weird seeing you being all domesticated."

"Nice impression of a goldfish," Krad said, as he stirred the soup, looking over smugly. He then got back to the condiments of the sandwiches. They were stacked high, at least five inches off their plates; filled with meats and greens and...some type of sauce. Chips littered neatly around the stacked beauties. Dark felt pulled to the mouthwatering dishes.

His sneaking instincts kicked in.

"You dare touch these plates and this ladle will be bent over your unattractive head!" Krad hadn't even turned around to look at him. How did he know he was moving in on them?

"Because I know you," Krad said, as if reading his mind.

"H-how?" Dark gaped again.

"Goldfish." The white angel still hadn't turned around.

Dark grumbled something foul. Krad's posture stiffened as he turned around.

"Come again?"

Dark looked away, trying to hide a snicker. He knew that _that _would be a thorn to the hunter. "Nothing," he said. Krad forgot that he was currently holding a ladle with soup still dripping from it. It was something in his hand, so he threw it. It missed Dark by a long shot, 'cause frankly, his aim sucked right then, but flecks of soup rained all on the thief. A look of disbelief etched onto his face. "You just started a food fight," he declared in a low voice.

With a battle cry, purple shot toward the counter and grabbed at a red container. Krad tried to block him, but he'd come with too much speed, so instead he barreled into his opposite, and he crashed on top of him to the floor.

"I win!" Dark shouted from underneath. An instant later Krad's face was covered in cold, red goop. The blond proceeded by slinging it off everywhere.

"Ah! Krad!" Dark whined.

Krad lifted off his counterpart and slid his tongue to his lips. "Tastes good," he said, but why don't you try this?" Krad reached for a yellow bottle on top of the counter.

"No!" Dark yelled, trying to twist away. He made it to his hands and knees, only to slip to his stomach in some of the ketchup on the floor. Krad twisted the cap and squeezed hard. Mustard strung out all over the thief's back, dripping all down his neck and under his sneaking suit top.

"AAAIIIEEEEE! That's cold!" The thief pushed up and away, squirming. Krad laughed, thoroughly happy. An uplifting sense of euphoria wrote itself on his ketchup-covered face. But, somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if this was really him. He couldn't be this happy. Not this simply. Not in this life. A person clearing their throat by the front door made them both jump out of their skins.

"Did ya'll forget something?" an auburn-haired woman with freckles asked. A little red-gold chick was hopping in by her feet.

**-****)*(****-**


	6. Chapter 6

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Busted. Like a couple of little kids, the angels were busted. Slipping on more ketchup to his knees, Dark looked at the unfamiliar woman with a startled expression freezing his features. Krad wasn't much better, but he at least had his mouth closed. The woman watched them for a moment longer, then shook her head as she made her way to the chair With was in. She picked the unresponsive bunny up, put him on the floor, then sat down and went to completely ignoring the two in the kitchen. The phoenix chick started hopping angrily over in Dark's direction.

Krad was the first to recover from the paralyzed shock that had rooted them both. He straightened, studying the woman that was now simply ignoring their existence. Dark couldn't believe it. A normal person had caught him. Not only had his sneaking record been ruined by Krad this night, but he'd been reduced to being caught by the common person. He hung his head and pouted, the approaching bird not yet registering to his mind.

With his brain being fuzzy, Krad took a moment to try to think what was wrong with this situation. Surely people didn't just let others into their home and sit back while their kitchen was raided? Krad stood and walked past the chick still making its way over to Dark, going to step up beside the woman. Illuminated by nothing but the fire, he could see she was very young; no older then twenty-five years of age. She was also very thin, and looked as if she didn't get much sun, but her features were nice and her hair was clean and soft. She also looked trapped in an eternally blank stare. Great. She was higher than a kite.

"OUCH!" _THUD!_

Krad furrowed his brows and turned toward the confusion behind him. Dark was on his back, scrambling like a wacky crab into the living-room, trying to get something off his face. It was the phoenix. Krad watched as the thing refused to let go of Dark's nose while the other whined and whimpered, shaking his head desperately all the while. Finally giving up on the tactic that wasn't working, Dark grabbed it, pulling hard enough where the thing couldn't stretch its tiny neck out anymore. It slipped off with the sound equivalent to a rubber band popping.

"Y'OW!" Dark rubbed his nose vigorously, and glanced at the chick that he held far from him with watering eyes.

"I'm sorry I forgot about you, but this is all your fault to begin with!" Dark reared back his hand as if to throw the ballistic chick. Krad blinked back to his senses and stretched out a hand toward the two.

"Wait!" he demanded. "What do you think you are doing?" He couldn't believe Dark was about to throw and hurt the Hikari artwork. He had to stop him before he killed it. Luminous purple found frantic gold.

"I'm about to throw this thing so it'll burst into flames and like me again," he explained, expecting this to make sense to his blond counterpart. Krad lowered his arm and began angrily marching toward them. It appeared he didn't understand that this was a crazy fire phoenix. His face was back in its classic _I'm-going-to kill-you_ expression, as his eyes slowly churned more bright yellow and his lips casted into a heavy frown. Dark's face spelled the embodiment of ut-oh. The phoenix chick started squawking. It was tired of being held and was still very angry. Dark extended his free arm out, shaking it hurriedly at Krad as if that would stave off the livid being coming toward him.

"Whoa! Hold on, Krad! I'm not gonna hurt it! Didn't you hear it as it hit the branches when it fell? It likes bursting into flames. Really! Watch!"

At this Dark made to hurl the bird. Krad launched for the thief. In order to preserve himself, Dark changed the bird's trajectory to smack into the close avenging angel. A red-gold blur whizzed right to Krad's chest. With a small crunch, the bird hit. Flames illuminated a look of disbelief as they rose passed a white face before he was promptly rocketed backward to his butt. All composer was lost. Dark sat there hugging himself, rocking back and forth, laughing like a lunatic.

"I...can't believe you just did that," Krad said softly in disbelief. Dark covered his face, and tried to stop laughing long enough to give an explanation.

"Does fire phoenix mean anything to you?" Dark asked, muffled, sounding strained. He was about to bust into a round of messed up giggles this time, but managed some version of control. He lifted from his hands, letting slip a choked snort at the solemn expression Krad wore. His face then twisted as he sank back into laughter. The look of disbelief that was made so vivid in the light of flames would be forever humorously etched into his mind, but he gasped in enough air to warn his other.

"Look between your legs and be very careful not to crush it." Laughter got the better of him here, but after a second he continued, "You might just get a flaming—"

"You guys are the most noisy hallucinations I've ever had." Both angels turned to regard the woman who had at last spoken to them. Her irises were totally dilated and black, while the flames behind her highlighted her auburn hair to a deep red. She looked kind of creepy turned backward in the chair staring at them all. It was almost like she'd twisted her neck in a 180 degree turn. A happy chirp drew Krad's attention to between his legs. There was the little chick, safe and happy. As absurd as it was to think, Dark had been right. The thing was still alive and now very pleased. The woman again claimed both angels' attention as she spoke for a second time, this time directing a piercing gaze Krad's way. She stared right at him...no...rather toward the front of him where the chick was hidden by his legs.

"I know I'm a pretty woman, but you better keep that happy thing in your pants." This confused Krad. The bird wasn't in his pants and wouldn't ever be. Dark once again rocked on the floor, howling. Krad pursed his lips, utterly confused as he spared a second to glance at the kaito. He then focused back to the woman.

"It isn't in my pants," he said. At this, Dark started sounding like he was having a conniption. His howling took on keening notes, and he was sure he was putting holes in the floor as his fists hammered all over the place. He couldn't stop though, even when it felt like the laughter was going to kill him. Sometimes, he honestly forgot just how innocent his other could be in light of being human.

The woman didn't seem okay with Krad's statement to her.

"Then I suggest you put it there," she said, her voice lowering dangerously. Krad was getting annoyed at Dark, who wasn't even pausing for air, and at this woman for saying such stupid things. No way was he going to put a bird in his pants. So, Krad proceeded to pick up the cute, little phoenix and head for the kitchen. After the mellowing effects of the marijuana wore off, he probably was going to come back after the woman, especially if it dawned on him what had actually transpired in their brief talk.

Purple twitched on the floor, too spent to keep laughing. Breathing heavily, he glimpsed the woman watching him. He didn't pay it much mind as he draped an arm across his rapidly rising and falling chest, feeling his heart beating ninety-to-nothing. After a moment of her staring, however, he began to stare at her as intensely as she stared at him.

"You like hentai, then?" she finally questioned. He looked away, unsure of how to handle the personal question. He decided to play dumb to the term in the hopes of her losing interest in it and him.

"Who likes watching a chicken getting hogtied?" He had to quickly suppress a chuckle as an image of this popped into his mind. She narrowed her eyes at him, then disappeared over her chair. A second later, a thin rectangular box fell on him.

"That's hentai," she said. Dark sat up, and picked up the DVD case. Part of him wanted to sling the plastic box back at her, another part of him was mildly curious. He'd never seen one before... The cover had a large "endowed" female screaming. It appeared she was being held hostage by the vines of a plant. That was weird. He turned the cover over and saw a nude version of the female. He felt his face heat up and embarrassedly covered his mouth with his hand. Inside, Daisuke awoke and went nuts.

**'Don't look! Don't look! ...What's that?' **the redhead asked.

Dark again saw those weird-looking vines trailing the pictures on back of the case. Then, he saw where they went and what they were doing. He dropped the case as if it burned him.

"T-t..." he stuttered. "TENTACLE!" He leaped up and raced for the kitchen, leaving the horrors he'd witnessed to lay on the floor. Before he made it to the kitchen, the woman noticed red hair had replaced purple locks.

"Awe, how cute," she smiled. "I've never had this elaborate of an imagination."

Daisuke slid into the kitchen and found Krad sitting sideways in a wooden chair behind a sizable table, nibbling on the remains of his sandwich and picking off meats to feed to the phoenix that was standing and jumping on top of the table beside him. Daisuke made an _eeping_ sound at the sight. No matter what, the angel still looked scary. Maybe it was the certain psychotic factor that the angel couldn't help but to portray. Golden-amber glanced up to see scarlet red.

Daisuke panicked, standing stiff with dizzy swirls coloring his eyes and sweat drops plastering his forehead. He couldn't go back out to the living room; tentacles were there. But, in here was Krad. What should he do? … Krad was a known enemy, so maybe he should stay. Daisuke gulped, shaking like a leaf. This seemed to amuse Krad. The devilish angel stood suddenly, and began making his way around to the boy. Evil intentions were radiating out from an evil grin.

Red eyes darted to a cupboard beside him. Maybe he could hide in that? He pulled open the door to it and barely could make out the huge pots and pans in the darkened space. Krad was coming ever closer, his steady gait sending ice cubes down the redhead's back. Daisuke grabbed one particularly huge pot and put it over his head. Krad's footstep halted for a second in wonder, but continued nonetheless toward the loose-witted teen. (Blame the marijuana.)

Pathetically scared noises echoed inside the pot, not helping to comfort the high and frightened Daisuke. A foot was grabbed, and Daisuke yelped as he was dragged out from under his pot. It clanked loudly to the floor as he tried to grab onto anything he could to stop Krad, but the legs of the kitchen chairs were too far away. The angel hauled him easily upside-down into the air. Daisuke flopped side-to-side like a fresh caught fish out of water and screamed. To the distraught teen, he was now hundreds of feet above ground. And, were those flecks of light the lights of buildings way below him?

Krad smiled and shook the teen a little, just to play with him. Daisuke screamed harder, covering his eyes. Poor guy was tripping awfully. But, it wasn't as if he shouldn't be screaming. Krad dropped him to the floor and Daisuke face-planted. He quickly took to his elbows and knees, cowering with his arms around his head. Krad listened as he could hear muffled, whispered chanting.

"I'm falling. I'm falling. I'm falling," Daisuke kept saying. Wow. And Dark thought he took drugs badly.

A comforting hand laid on Daisuke's shaking shoulder. He flinched harshly, but peeked out enough to see short, light blue hair and concerned azure-colored eyes behind big-rimmed glasses. Daisuke lifted up and smiled, all hallucinations of falling to his death forgotten.

"Hiwatari!"

A rare smile broke on Satoshi's face. It was impossible for it not to. His friend looked so happy to see him. That, and he felt…well, a good word to sum it up would be "Wwwhhheeeeee"! Maybe switching forms intensified the effects of the high? Or, maybe it had more to do with their now-smaller forms? Either way, the two boys were definitely feeling the THC.

"Niwa, are you—" Satoshi had to stop as the words were having difficulty passing from his lips. He closed his mouth, shook his head slightly, and tried again. "Are you all right?" He studied the redhead before him. Niwa had a look of awe stuck on his face as he watched the older boy, but nodded in answer to the question given to him. Suddenly, Daisuke looked frightened and he pointed to the living room behind him.

"But, there is a very bad thing out there!" he whispered seriously. "You don't want to go to the living room at all!"

"We need to leave. We need a door to do that," Satoshi replied, explaining slowly and clearly. Without warning, Daisuke pulled Satoshi down by his shirt, causing him to nearly fall on top of the other.

"Don't go out there! She likes..." He blushed. "Um...she might be watching..." His whole face flamed red as he went quiet. Satoshi took a breath and positioned himself on his knees, taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Please let the future be drug free."

"SHE LIKES DIRTY MOVIES!" The blunette fell over at the outburst, his ears ringing and balance destroyed.

"Niwa!" he shouted with tightly closed eyes.

"Sorry!" Daisuke whispered, throwing his hands over his mouth. Yeah, like that would really help now. Blue eyes pierced the teen before a playfully out-of-character kick nudged him in his side and Satoshi fought to sit back up.

"Huh? Did you just kick me?" Daisuke asked, unsure of what would cause his friend to act so differently. (Again, blame the marijuana.)

"No," Satoshi denied too quickly.

"Yes, you did. You're acting weird tonight... Wait! I didn't mean it like that! It came out wrong!" Satoshi grinned knowingly and shrugged.

"Dai, I know I'm weird. Anyway, Krad's babbling that you shouted something earlier. What scared you?" A face beckoned scarlet again. Blue eyes took on a hard glint. "That's just wrong."

"W-what?"

"Krad just told me."

Red buried into the chest of blue. "I TRIED TO GET DARK NOT TO LOOK! BUT HE DID IT ANYWAY! THEN I SAW—" (I'm conveniently blocking this part out.) Satoshi was disgusted at what came from Daisuke's mouth. He regarded the teen as if he'd never seen him clearly.

"Congratulations, you made Krad shudder."

"I'M SORRY!"

"Please get yourself under control and stop yelling."

"I CAN'T HELP IT!" Daisuke cried with tears.

A cloud seemed to hover over the room.

"THEN I'M GOING TO YELL!"

A flabbergasted Daisuke sat quietly with wide eyes, opening and closing his mouth. "D- ...du...du..." It sounded like he kept saying.

Satoshi giggled. "Goldfish."

**-****.****-**

A couple of minutes later, the two had come up with a plan. Okay, not really a plan so much as a simply stating the obvious. _Get to the front door! For goodness sake the darn things busted off its hinges! _

The boys creped out with Satoshi bravely taking the lead. All was going well until Satoshi hit a wall and bounced backward, taking Daisuke behind him down with him.

"I never would have thought of this on my own," the wall spoke from above them as the two sprawled forms quickly scrambled to get up. "I always go see Dark in action, and jump at the chance to glimpse the white one, but I've never imagined the two masquerading as a pair of boys. Not even in my most best high moments. I think I'll keep using this new stuff."

Satoshi regarded the wall which was no wall. It was the woman coming to find them. She had a small plastic sandwich bag lightly filled with fine white dust in one hand. It looked almost like sugar, or maybe flour. It was hard to tell in the lighting of the flickering fire. Daisuke's eyes trailed from the floor slowly upwards, first taking in the woman's sneakers, then her faded blue jeans, then her revealed belly button (blush), to the tied instead of buttoned checkered shirt, and lastly, her kind heart-shaped face with the medium one-length straight hair and the dark eyes that stared into the soul of anything. (This effect was caused because she rarely ever blinked. Creepy...)

"We are in _so_ much trouble!" Daisuke mumbled under his breath, but everyone clearly heard it. The woman seemed confused by this.

"Why are ya'll in trouble?" she asked, stashing the bag away in a front pocket before placing her hands on her hips and tilting them slightly. Silently, Satoshi agreed with the redhead beside him. They were dealing with an unpredictable druggie who now knew their secret. Even if they were lucky and she kept chalking everything up to hallucinating, the fact that the knowledge was out in some form could still come to bite them in the butt one day.

The two stood there; one shaking, the other just weirdly silent. The woman studied them both. To her, one was adorable and showed pure puppy cuteness, the second one appeared too young be considered "eye candy", but was definitely up in the ranks.

"Quick!" she snapped at Satoshi. "Tell me your age!"

"Um, no." A breeze came in from the broken doorway and played with the fire, almost making it go out. This same wind ruffled Satoshi's short hair, swaying it in a most sexy fashion.

"Stop that!" The woman cried at him.

"What?" Satoshi glanced around, shocked.

"Haha!" Daisuke laughed. "Dramatic wind!"

"Seriously, stop and tell me your age. I may be a criminal," she pleaded.

"...?"

"Well, it makes sense to me!" she shouted to the unspoken thought. It was written all over Satoshi's face that he more than suspected she was crazy. She sighed, "If you must know—"

"Wait!" Daisuke interrupted, turning toward his blue-haired friend, whom in turn faced him more. "When that phrase is said, the subject is never one you want to hear."

An agitated grumble came with the weight of a pair of dark-colored eyes. Daisuke backed up a few steps in alarm.

"Erm..." he said. "Sorry...NOT!" Daisuke slapped both hands over his mouth and purple receded as abruptly as it had come around his pupils.

"Plagued with uncontrollable urges, huh?" she asked him sympathetically. Her stare found Satoshi's again and now _he _couldn't help but to back up to where his friend was.

"As I was saying, if you must know why I want your age, it's because you don't look a day over sixteen. If I'm going to hallucinate about a hot guy, I don't want the guilt of being a pedophile dragging it down. _That's _the criminal part." She chuckled, "Listen to me sounding all sober here!"

Blue almost fell over.

"Psst! Make a cross with your fingers. It'll keep evil away."

Suddenly, the television blared a movie's opening in trumpets with a surround sound system that should have been made illegal. The place shook as if bombs were going off. Someone yelped, someone fell with their feet in the air and a shoe slung off, and one stood as if nothing was going on, staring at the little bunny..._thingy_ and chick that was being blown by the sound waves. Tiny sets of claws were holding onto the armrest of the chair. Most of their bodies were lifting up, freely swaying on the rushing, oncoming sound currents.

"Kyuu!" With said, but you couldn't hear it, only see his mouth hanging and flapping wide open. Flames started grazing the top of the chick's downy feathers. This was too much for it, but it couldn't be happier. Seconds later, just as Satoshi was on his hands and knees picking himself back up, the bird burst into flames. A fireball whirled with astonishing speed.

"DUCK!" Daisuke yelled.

"No, it's a phoenix," said the woman as she heeded the warning and ducked. Somehow, both people heard Daisuke's cry. Blue eyes lifted up to the deadly ball of flames coming directly at him. He threw his arms and legs out to their appropriate sides and belly-flopped to the floor to avoid being roasted. The flames smacked behind him into the wall almost instantaneous to his hurtful thud against the hardwood floor. The woman kicked up and tried to smother the fire out.

It just kept on burning.

"Damn—thing—won't—go—out!" She slammed the wall with a sneaker again.

"Stop. You're only making it continue." Satoshi repositioned his crooked glasses on his nose and rolled to view the mayhem going on. Quietness filled the room for one blissful minute. With jumped to Daisuke's head with wide eyes. Never again; never again would he touch the remote. He now thought he knew why the Niwas scolded him every time he hid the thing under the couch.

The movie roared back on. Immediately slaps and moans loudly, horribly filled the cottage and echoed all over the surrounding grassy property for miles. Okay, maybe just half a mile. Daisuke glowed beet red, then green without even looking at what was causing all this. He jumped up and ran.

"INAPPROPRIATE LOUD NOISES!"

Satoshi was the smart one. He forced himself into the haven in the back of his mind and let Krad deal with it. The angel didn't know what happened. Just as long hair flowed past his waist, he grabbed and held both ears firmly closed. Krad caught sight of Dark spinning around by the broken hinges of the door. It looked as if he was coming back to the white angel's rescue, but his vision trailed to the video screen and he stopped, mouthing the word, "Ew." Dark couldn't make himself move anymore. He couldn't even look away. Poor, poor Daisuke...

Krad wouldn't stand for this any longer. He spun toward the source of the all noise. As soon as he took in sight of the television, it blew to pieces in a satisfying, furious sounding explosion. Knocked out of the trance, Dark looked to the bright yellow swirling within Krad's eyes and nodded his thanks.

"Hey! It was just getting good!" the woman complained.

"What the eff?" the phoenix chirped, looking up at her. Krad stared at the chick with growing horror.

"Did you hear that?" he asked the two while he stared at the chick. The bird eyed him back with innocent beady blue pupils.

"Hear what?" both Dark and the woman asked in return. The blond ran a hand through his hair and bared his teeth.

"Shit!" he exclaimed with a stomp of his boot.

**-****)*(****-**


	7. Chapter 7

**-****)*(****-**

Krad paced the dainty yet fairly spacey bathroom that he was trapped in. But, why was he trapped in there? Cause he'd adamantly revealed he'd heard the phoenix talk and now the two in the living room thought that he needed to be alone to come off his crazy high.

"It's impossible," Dark had argued after Krad could not get over it. "The phoenix was created with only one form. ...Okay, two if you include flaming balls. My point is, since it cannot willing change shape, it has only the mental complexity given to a regular bird."

"Birds can talk, you moron!"

"Does _that_ look like it comes from the parrot family to you?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"You're out of it, aren't you?"

And that's why he'd gotten shoved and barricaded into the bathroom by one Dark Mousy. The pink decorating every darn where was what was going to be the end of him if he didn't get out soon. That, and Dark tormenting him further by constantly sneaking open the door and cutting the lights off without warning. That wasn't helping to keep his sanity in check at all. Locking the door did no good at stopping this—the thief just picked it, zipped his hand in real fast and switched off the light _again _with a childish chuckle before slamming the door closed and leaving a furious Krad steaming and brooding in pitch, blinding darkness. Why wouldn't his magic save him again? Had he spent what little he had in his control on exploding the television? Darn that evil thing and the ruckus it had caused!

With both hands tightened into fists, he swung with white knuckles, repeatedly hitting the wall in front of him. He punched with all his strength, doing no damage to the wall, but doing a good bit of damage to his hands. He stopped once his mind registered some red mixing along the blackish-brown of the wood. Taking a deep, calming breath, he surveyed his skinned knuckles and walked over to the sink.

"That's why you're in there, Krad. Keep going wacko and I'll never let you out," Dark warned from the opposite side of the door. Ignoring him and turning on the cold water, Krad washed the blood away. Now his knuckles didn't look so bad. Wrapping them in a towel to stem the bleeding for a few minutes should make them as good as new. Also, on the plus side, he felt a lot better after releasing all that pent up agitation. He moved his wet outer garments (that he'd left hung on top of the sink to dry when they'd first arrived) and opened the cabinet doors, choosing an orange hand towel and pressing it to the back of his fingers. The dull brass knob of the bathroom door jingled ever so slightly, catching his attention. He waited for a minute, listening. Nothing further happened. The kaito probably knew he'd slipped up and was waiting for his moment to strike again, unexpected. Well, not this time.

Krad smiled to himself and walked over to the giant and pristine marbled bathtub resting at the far end of a corner, throwing the hand towel to land in an empty hamper. He bent down and fiddled with the large facet, quickly running steaming bathwater. Before reaching to put in the stopper, golden eyes whipped to the brass doorknob to check it. The futile lock was still turned in the right direction; Dark had made no attempt to bust in yet. Righting himself, he walked silently to the door, making sure to begin each step on his toes, then stepping easily on the outer edges of his feet to finally finish with a heel.

He could be stealthy when he wanted to be.

Krad stood a small distance from the door, the sink and a large hanging mirror on his left. He glanced down to sight the doorknob, waiting for it to move again when the movement of his own reflection ensnared him. For a minute he didn't recognize his face. It was alive with determination that was not born of psychosomatic behavior. The doorknob did not jingle again, but the lock suddenly began turning. Redirecting his focus, the thrill of catching the thief tingled. The lock leveled out and the knob slowly started to twist. Krad smirked when a tanned hand and arm weaseled in for the light switch. Striking, Krad snatched and anchored around the wrist, and heaved. A bewildered Dark spilled inside the pink room, causing the door to fly open.

The dark angel didn't voice a sound. The look on his face said he was too surprised to, but somehow he'd managed to hit that light switch after all, because now Krad couldn't see anything. He continued hauling in Dark, though.

"Crud!" Finally, after a dazed second, the other made effort in tugging his arm back, at the same time trying to plant his feet to the floor.

"I do not think so," Krad hissed, seizing a tight collar and slinging Dark down callously to the floor.

"Ow!"

The bathroom door snapped shut and lights turned back on. The thief rolled to his back and picked himself up partway, leaning back on his hands. A suave pale face surrounded by gold hair smiled down at him. Clearly, this spelled doom...with capital letters. His heartbeat picked up; blood began pumping; fighting instincts kicked in. He stood up and dusted himself off. In front of him, gold eyes glittered with promised retribution.

Dark feinted a punch and moved back, increasing his distance and moving away from the enclosed space by the sink. As expected, Krad had made to block, costing himself precious time in the fight. Dark grinned from the middle of the room, bouncing on his heels excitedly, waiting for his other to come for him. Insulted, Krad hid it behind a falsely sweet smile and walked over. Loud, excited banging on the bathroom door rendered both of them still.

"Hey!" the woman shouted from behind the closed doorway. "I wanna see what's going on!" A golden eyebrow raised and Dark shrugged his shoulders.

"We're fighting," Dark said loudly, "go away!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I can hear that tub running, mister!" She sounded as if she was being kept from some sort of treat. Dark bypassed Krad and raced for the door, throwing it open.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! First of all, I don't swing that way!" The woman stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently, and looking Dark up and down.

"Uh-huh, like I believe that. A drop-dead-gorgeous bishi such as yourself has to be gay."

The thief slapped a hand over his eyes.

"That was such an insult that it wasn't even funny." Suddenly, Dark spun and pointed a finger at Krad. "Blame him!" he shouted toward the hunter. "The tub was his idea!"

Golden eyebrows rose high.

"Oh?" the woman questioned, beginning to look Krad up and down.

Krad defended, "I only did it as a lure!"

"Great!" Dark snapped at him, "Now she really is going to think the worst!"

"I get it now. You guys are too shy for an audience," said the woman, thumping a fist into her palm.

"WHAT?" Both angels shouted.

Without warning and with the force of a raging stampede, Krad suddenly ran for the woman. Dark managed to whip around in time to catch his opposite around the waist, holding on for dear life, at the same time trying to drag the blond back to where his reaching hands couldn't swipe at the grinning woman.

"You DARE!" Krad raged. "YOU DARE!"

"Calm down, Krad!" Dark tightened his hold as the hunter nearly slung him off to tear into her. He was so close, too! Just a few more inches and he could rip her to shreds.

"WE ARE MORTAL ENEMIES!"

"Yeah," the woman said, unfazed by the inhuman glare aimed directly at her. "To me, that makes it all the more believable that you two would have a relationship. Love and hate are both very strong and often similar emotions."

"Woman! You are crazy! You'd better leave!" Dark grunted, still holding Krad back. Krad roared and began tearing into the hands wrapped around him. Dark hissed as fingernails started drawing blood from the one arm that was left unprotected by his torn suit. He tried to sling Krad toward the wall, but the blond angel held firm to his position.

"Why?" the woman questioned at Dark. "He can't hurt me."

"Ha!" the purple-haired phantom laughed sarcastically. "Leave! NOW!" Dark directed a serious look at the woman as he peered out from behind Krad. Big mistake.

Krad saw this in the mirror and swung hard with an elbow. A dull slam sounded and the hold around his waist lessened, almost completely letting go. Krad twisted within the loose embrace and faced a stunned Dark. The blow had caught him near his left temple, all but knocking him out. The teen swayed, his eyes halfway closing and his knees wobbling, but still he held on to Krad, wanting to keep that blasted woman safe. With a snarl, Krad shoved Dark and he practically flew, sliding into the back of the tub. Barely maneuvering to catch himself, the teen draped over the marble to his knees, his back to everyone. He gave no further movement and his body went lax. Krad smiled and turned for the woman. She appeared upset, but not scared.

"Now why did you go and do that?" she asked with attitude.

Krad pounced. Instincts must have kicked in because she backed away. She wasn't quick enough to avoid him entirely, however, and the next thing she knew she was getting hauled forward by the front of her shirt. With a startled cry, Krad sent her literally flying through the air. With a splash that couldn't have felt good, she landed into the bathwater in the bathtub. She shot straight back up.

"HOT! HOT! HOT!" she cried, jumping around while the knot keeping her shirt tied loosened. Beside her, Dark coughed. He'd gotten a face full of hot water. He gagged a bit, then reached to turn on the cold water to help the shouting woman. After that his arm flopped back down and he laid still again. The woman smiled in contentment as the incoming water quickly brought the temperature to the right degree. She sat down and turned the facet off. (Why do women like scalding baths?)

"Come on," she said, as she pulled at Dark to get him into the cozy water. Krad stood, unsure of what to do. He was somewhat dizzy from his excursions of the previous few minutes. Now that anger was ebbing away, he felt like laughing. Which he did.

The woman continued to pull at the unresisting teen, even though she couldn't move him an inch. Her shirt was becoming very, very loose until... Hello! Krad turned off the lights.

"Hey!" the woman said annoyingly.

"I don't want to see that!" Krad laughed. There was some splashing as the woman moved inside the tub.

"That proves it. You're gay."

"WHAT?" Lights turned back on, then just as quickly cut back off, but not before golden eyes had clamped tightly shut.

"What's all the yelling?" Dark slurred, coming back to his senses. The woman looked to where his voice had sounded from and saw two thin, light-purple circles watching her. It took her a second to realize these were Dark's irises and he could see her clearly. Not that she minded of course...

As could be expected, it only took a second for those thin purple circles to trail to her exposed chest.

"D...du...du..."

Even being unable to see anything, hearing this stuttering taking place made Krad kneel over. He held his stomach and pressed a hand to the floor to steady himself.

"G-goldfish," he choked out. An instant later a scream pierced through the whole cottage. It sounded a lot like Daisuke.

"Hold still," the woman said to him.

"NO! NO! NO! ... DO NOT—! DO NOT—! ... DO NOT WANT!"

"Damn. The whole bunch of you are gay." A loud splash that Krad felt the droplets of as well as heard, followed by bubbles, informed that Daisuke had been pulled headfirst into the water.

"What is going on over there?" Krad sobered up enough to ask.

"Flip on the lights, genius, and you'll find out!" the woman called out.

A splash broke the surface of the water and an intake of air rasped as Krad answered slowly, "I think I would rather not."

"Satoshi! Help! I can't see anything and she's—WAH!" Another splash and bubbles, followed by, "Shut up! Damn. Have a breakdown why don't you." Something thudded inside the tub. It sounded as if Daisuke was actually trying to kick her! "Ow! You little squirt!" Daisuke broke to the surface again.

"LET ME GO!" he yelled.

"Little dude, I was just going to wash your arm and check your face. Sheesh. I'm all covered now, so stop panicking."

"No you weren't," Daisuke sobbed, "you like hentai!"

"What is _exactly_ going on?" someone asked from over by the door. Daisuke turned inside the tub with another splash.

"Satoshi?"

"Yeah?"

Daisuke sighed in relief. "Can you find the light switch, please?" A pair of hands patted along the walls with no luck.

"Currently, no. I'm too far from it and I'm not moving just yet. I'm sure I heard the phoenix chick in here."

"The chick?"

The woman moved some. "Kid, the chick's outside," she said.

"No. The chick is in here, I'm sure," Satoshi replied confidently.

**'Yeah,' **Dark spoke from within Daisuke, **'and you're still in the tub with her!' **This caused the redhead to stiffen and whine. His hands gripped the edges of the marble bathtub as he prepared to leap out of it. Water poured over onto the floor.

"Wait, Daisuke!" But, before Satoshi could finish his warning, Daisuke was already tumbling to the floor with a wet smack. "Don't move!" the blunette cautioned, using the voice of authority he'd learned working on the police force. On his chin and knees Daisuke froze, hardly daring to move to get his hands up under him to pick himself off the floor.

"Listen, I'm telling you that chick is outside."

"If Satoshi says it's in here, then it's in here. He has a connection to all Hikari artworks," said Daisuke from the floor.

"Daisuke!" Satoshi hissed in a reprimanding way. A smack meant Daisuke had slapped both hands to his mouth again.

"Well, I'm getting out and turning the lights back on."

"No!" both boys yelled. The woman stepped out anyway, and squeakily with her wet sneakers, nearly making it to Satoshi. _CRUNCH!_ Flames erupted and the two boys made eye contact in the brief flare of light as the woman rocketed backward into the tub. _SPLOOSH!_ Daisuke got covered in a small tidal wave. When he opened his eyes again the lights were on; courtesy of Satoshi. The redhead jumped up to check on the wide-eyed woman floating in the tub.

"Are you okay?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and pouted her lips. "Peachy," she responded sarcastically. "It's only the second time I've flown through the air and into the tub tonight. No worries; things like this _always_ happen to me." Her shirt when wet really was no better than sheer fabric.

"Well, if you're sure—" Daisuke gasped as he noticed her almost totally see-through shirt. "GAH!" Slipping and sliding, he managed to turn around for an all-out sprint out the bathroom. But, he couldn't seem to get good footing anywhere in all the slippery puddles on the floor.

"Careful! Daisuke!" Satoshi could only dodge as Daisuke stepped on—what felt like to him—a land mine, rocketing up and flipping head over heels, planting his back painfully against the closed door and just sticking there. Satoshi walked over and bent down to his eye level.

"At this point it's more appropriate to ask if you're alive," he said.

The redhead mumbled incoherently.

"What?" Satoshi asked.

Deliriously, he mumbled again, "Now I know what the Coyote off Loony Tunes feels like."

"Wow, little dude's awake?" the woman asked, grabbing a fluffy pink towel from off a rack and wrapping it around herself. Daisuke didn't answer. "Hello?" she called.

"Not anymore," Satoshi spoke. The woman carefully avoided any further calamity by stepping around the chick sitting/waiting innocently on the floor in one of the many puddles littering the place, and sat close to the short blue-haired boy. She looked up at the plastered Daisuke on the door. His face was so cute relaxed and upside-down like it was. Even unconscious he radiated a pure gentle sweetness. This one was truly as innocent as he acted. She could understand his earlier panic now. She turned to regard the chick behind them. It was bobbing its head and blinking its beady eyes. She was starting to doubt the innocence of _that _thing. She glanced back to Satoshi to see him staring at her.

"Let us peel him off, shall we?" she asked, gesturing.

"Yeah. I've got his shoulders if you could reach up for his legs."

"You know," she said, before Satoshi could reach for Daisuke, "you could prove you're not gay."

Purple eyes fluttered briefly open. "Don't you bring that up again," Dark slurred.

"No, I'm serious," she said.

Satoshi wanted nothing more than to put as much distance as he could between this woman and him. First thing's first though, he had to get Daisuke down. Or, was this Dark now? Auburn hair made darker from the water was brushed behind an ear as the woman faced Satoshi more.

"Come on," she smiled. "Give one a squeeze. I dare you."

"I should have you arrested for inappropriate conduct towards a minor," Satoshi countered with steady professionalism.

"Why? Are you a cop?" she teased.

"He's actually a Commander," Dark voiced from off the door. He was wearing a grin, complete and back to his own form, though still stuck upside-down.

"Wow!" the woman said in surprise. "If he's that old then I call dibs!" Satoshi grunted as he was glomped to the floor. _POOF! _Went the chick in another explosion. Both hollered as they were given a one-way ticket to the bathtub. _DOUBLE SPLOOSH!_

Dark tried to move his hands to wipe fallen water droplets off his face, but was too stuck to. So, he gave up and just laughed until his lungs ached. A blond something another lifted out of the warm water with a growl.

"Holy smokes, it's cousin It's cousin!"

Bubbles rapidly rose to the surface and the woman came up snorting.

"I heard that!" She removed her bangs from her eyes and met with Krad's barely seen ones. "You're right, he does look like cousin It's cousin. Course, he kinda favors a golden haystack, too." Dark snorted, then coughed.

"Ugh, don't snort whilst upside-down. It brings things wrong-side up."

Krad chuckled at this and came out of all his loose hair. Try as he might, he couldn't get the wet, silky locks tamed for a good ponytail. Upon seeing Krad's face, the chirpy phoenix jumped up on the tub's edge. Krad welcomed it with a smashing fist. It burst immediately into flames.

"Gosh, that was mean," the woman said from the other end of the tub. Gold eyes locked onto her. Krad stilled his efforts of fixing his hair as he stared at her menacingly. She lifted her hands in surrender. "Can we just let bygones be bygones?" she asked hesitantly. The ashes raised from the side of the tub and a chick chirped. Krad smashed it again without looking away from her, his action almost too fast for her to see the motion of. She gulped.

"It's going to positively love you, you know." Dark spoke, hoping to divert Krad's attention. Krad stood up, treading water.

The phoenix rose again.

Krad picked it up and hurled it at Dark. It slammed the wall instead, but it was close enough that Dark jerked from the issuing flames.

"You make a great personal target," the hunter smirked.

Dark felt himself coming away from the door. He was about to fall. Oh boy. He looked at the cute chick. If he could aim, he might be able to tilt far enough away to avoid landing on the darn thing. There was a sucking sound as his back came free.

"Coming down, are we?" Krad chuckled. Dark had little to no chance of avoiding the phoenix. As soon as it had heard him coming free it had looked up with excitement. Even now it seemed as if the chick was calculating where to be at to get hit.

"Shoo! Shoo! Awe, dip!" Dark prepared himself as his legs folded down first, then _PLOP! _then _POOF! _He yelped anyway, and was rocketed toward the tub.

"Make room for one more!" the woman yelled. Krad shielded with his arms as Dark fell into the water, barreling the other two over. They all lifted back up, sputtering.

A purple head shook water off.

"Goodness graces, great balls of fire! Ba da da dum ba da dum da da dum ba da dum!" Dark sang, rocking his head and playing the air guitar. The woman sank back into the water laughing. Krad suddenly couldn't believe any of this was happening. Maybe it wasn't...

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**A/N: I need to feel your energy! Raise your voice! Lift your hand! And hit the little button and give a hoot. -Bows- **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I apologize in advance for this chapter because I think it has more action than funny. I'm sorry! The two just wanted to fight! Darn them...**

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A form restlessly shifted under a wool blanket a little ways from the warming fire; the only light source. Inside the expansive and rather lonely cabin living room, little distressed noises issued as shadows danced along quiet walls. Two empty plushy chairs faced the bright fire and the covered, unknown figure. It appeared he was left truly alone in the expansion of the place until a tan hand reached to pull on the gray wool covering the figure's face. With a whisper of cloth, a pale countenance was revealed, along with damp spikes of gold tresses.

"He's switched again," Dark noted.

"Is that bad?" the woman asked from her hiding spot behind one of the plushy chairs. Dark turned to her cautiously peeking out with a 'duh' expression on his face. She rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored the look and asked, "What happens if it keeps happening?" Thoughtful purple eyes glanced down at the white angel again.

"Considering it takes energy to switch from one form to the other, and since Satoshi and Krad are ill, it has got to be very demanding and draining. It needs to stop so they can rest. As for the consequences for this, that's a good question. The worst that can possibly happen is that they stop switching _and_ breathing."

"That's a rather heartless comment."

A powerful sneezed sounded and Krad sat up fast. The wool blanket flung partway off him and his wondering eyes quickly took in a very abrupt change in scenery. How did he get from the bathroom tub to the living room floor? He turned to look at the flickering fire a ways to his left in confusion. He twisted back around and carefully scanned the shadowed room for any signs of life. The plushy chairs facing him were empty, as well as the kitchen further back. Where was everyone? Without much warning a pressure started building in Krad's nose. Having barely enough time to close his eyes, Krad sneezed _again_ with a heavy jerk.

"Unn," he hummed sorely, bending forward some. He didn't feel so well. He rested his warm forehead in one palm and slowly slid his eyes closed. After a second or two, he teetered sideways and couldn't stop the listless flop onto his pallet. Scrunching his fingers into the material, Krad opened his eyes a fraction and looked beneath him. Who would be kind, or foolish enough, to make out a pallet for him? He sorely tilted up his head to search around for anyone again. Surely someone was nearby? They had to be, and idiotic him had let down his guard and apparently fell asleep around them. What was wrong with him? His long bang softly brushed across his clammy cheeks before slipping down to land with a little thunk onto his pillow. His pale eyelids began drooping as his head started wobbling. He was so warm and cozy. As hard as he tried he couldn't seem to grasp onto any anger or resentment of this prone position. It was as if something was blocking it and he couldn't quite overcome the calm currently flowing through his system. He hated it, yet as he laid on his pillow, he smiled. A few minutes later long, steady breaths came from him as he fell back asleep.

From behind the two plushy chairs Dark and the woman glanced stiffly and apprehensively at each other. That had been the closest call ever. If Krad would have awoken to Dark hovering over him then they would have been goners for sure. The angel would not have tolerated them being so close in such an unprotected moment. The woman peeked out from the side of her chair while Dark peeked over the top of his. The woman was so relieved by the sight of the sleeping Krad being illuminated by the fire, that she sank and sprawled out across the hardwood floor in a jellified heap. Dark pressed his face into the soft part of his chair's top. The situation had been a dangerous one, but that didn't damper the comical side of it. His shoulders shook and soon he had to lift up out of the chair's smothering material for fresh air.

"Shhh!" Still sprawled on the floor, the woman scolded him by pressing her finger against her lips and shushing him. She'd learned her lesson a little while ago; Krad _wasn't _a hallucination and he _could_, indeed, cause her harm. Dark grinned and stood up, intent on returning to monitoring Krad.

"You had better keep your promise and never do drugs again," Dark warned as he stepped around the chair.

"After seeing what happened to your brother there, I won't be trying them again any time soon," she replied surely. Dark flinched at the family related title. Well, being called Krad's brother was better than her knowing the truth about their origins. He sat down gently next to the demented hunter, ready to dart if need be to conceal himself behind a chair again.

"But you know," the woman stated, "it's his fault for throwing me into the tub. If he hadn't done that, then the Angel Dust in my front pocket would have never spilled on him."

"You shouldn't have been doing drugs in the first place," Dark countered. The woman huffed.

"So, do you have a name?" Dark asked her.

"Miranda," she answered in low tones, getting up and coming close to sit down with the phantom thief. She took in the sight of Krad's smooth features. His facial muscles were relaxed, which oddly gave him an appearance of innocence, though some lingering presence hinted at his more violent nature. His hair was still in its high ponytail, along with that curiously long bang curled in a loop on the pillow in front of his face. She reached and moved it behind him. Dark casted her a knowing look.

"Wha-" she didn't get a chance to defend before Dark stated more than questioned, "You've fallen for him, haven't you?" He shook his head sadly and looked away. "He's no good for you. He's not the type to understand a person," he said, extremely serious. An angered demeanor strongly came over the woman.

"Actually," she said, matter-of-fact like, "I was just about to ask you why we're taking care of a homicidal maniac!"

"Shhh!" Huge purple eyes came an inch from her own. She couldn't help going cross-eyed to focus on them as they stayed close but angled in Krad's direction to see if he had awoken. She shook her head to right her vision, and then, too, checked on the other angel. He was still asleep...wait...oh no. He moved! Both held their breaths as Krad stretched his legs straight out, causing the covers to slip past his slim waist with a small rustling noise. Slowly, he brought an arm closer to him in sleep, his long, slender fingers curling ever so gently into his palm as he moved with them deeper into his pillow.

"Awww! That's so _cute_!"

"Miranda!" Dark chastised the squeeing, squirming mess of a woman next to him.

"Sorry." She hung her head and hid behind a small curtain of hair. "It was a fan girl moment, okay?"

"Not okay!" Dark whispered harshly.

"Okay!"

"I said, not okay!"

"I get it!" She flailed her arms in exasperation. The thief chucked lightly. The fire crackled some as the two sat there quietly for a few minutes.

"So," Miranda started the next conversation. "how much of the night do you think he'll accurately remember?"

Dark closed his bright eyes and breathed deeply. "I don't know," he said, almost sadly. He'd wanted Krad to be able to gain something out of this weird experience.

"Do you think he'll remember being mad at me and throwing me into the tub?"

Dark laughed, "That's probably the last thing he accurately remembers."

"Great." Miranda pouted and flopped backward on the floor, arms stretched to either side of her.

"Yeah. Whatever other memories he has are all probably just hallucinations."

Miranda's dark eyes took on a stressed look. "At least he won't recall all the fighting you guys did."

Dark glanced over at the now broken stairs. The railing was splintered, most of it nothing but pieces strewn over the floor. Halfway up the structure was a huge, jagged hole. Amazingly, it was about the most damaged part of the house. Krad had been fighting with all his might, but hadn't been able to get much of his magic under control. That had proved a tremendous lifesaver. As psychotic as Krad was in normal times, while under the influence of drugs, somehow he became even worse. He'd been a raging blank slate; his usual golden eyes flat and dull one minute, then he'd laugh such an unusual sound that the hair would stand up on the back of Dark's neck. The purple-haired kaito suppressed a shudder. That type of laugh was not suppose to come out of his opposite.

By a long shot the worst times had started once Krad began getting violently sick. And still the darned hunter had kept trying to fight, putting both himself and his Tamer in jeopardy. But now he was out of energy, though his magic was slowly coming back, helping him to cancel out that potent dust circulating in his system. What a relief, because there had been many close calls...

"Dark. ... Dark!" A hand waved in front of his face. He turned to look at Miranda sitting up, staring at him like he'd gone nuts. "Jeez, that must have been some daydream." Dark rubbed both his eyelids hastily.

"Sorry, I spaced out. I don't think the marijuana has completely left me yet."

"Are you sure that's it?" Pink lips smiled mischievously up at him. Dark narrowed his eyes, lowering his hand from his face to glance at the unbelievable woman.

"What?" he questioned with a frown. Her tone had hinted at..._something_.

"Nothing!" she sang, and hopped up for the kitchen. "As I was saying when you were spaced out, I'm going to make us some hot tea." She frolicked away. Dark lowered his head and growled, slapping a hand to the hardwood floor at the same time.

"YOU BETTER NOT BE IMPLING—ah..." he stopped mid-shout once he realized what he was doing. Inch by slow inch he turned toward where his opposite lay, wondering all the while why he wasn't already dead from an attack. Darn that marijuana and the loss of brain cells it caused! The blankets came into view and he very nearly hollered when he registered one of Krad's golden-amber orbs open and staring passively up at him. Almost automatically the phantom thief's magic stirred in a response for protection. Both golden eyes snapped open at this as the hunter shot himself forward and brought Dark crashing down underneath him.

"Dammit!" Dark yelled, as he was slammed painfully and pinned to the floor by the blond towering over him. He had enough bruises from earlier and this skirmish was already starting out of his favor. He struggled in the grasp holding him. Long arms trembled with the effort of his captured as Krad did his best to maintain balance over the kaito. It was difficult; he really, really didn't feel well. His muscles were as sore as if he'd just fallen two stories out of the sky. Wait...yeah, that had happened earlier, right? And his energy...it was like a plug had been pulled. He didn't know how long he could continue without blacking out; his vision wouldn't quit swimming nauseatingly.

"I'm back with hot tea, Dar—" Miranda stopped, placing a silver tray baring two steaming cups on a coffee table by the chairs. "Well, Krad, you can have mine since you're up. I'll just go fix me another while you two lovebirds enjoy yourselves." She smiled slyly and began backing away.

"HOW THE BLEEPING HELL DO YOU FIGURE—oh, forget it!" Dark shouted after her walking figure.

"Tell me what has happened to me, Mousy," Krad demanded, effectively using rage to cover most of the weakness leaking into his voice. Dark glanced up at the hunter, his face turning slightly puzzled as he looked into his reflection's tired eyes. He then smirked, causing the other's blood to boil hotter.

"Sorry, Krad, but I haven't the time to explain it to you. You're about to faint." Krad sucked in a furious breath between his teeth, trembling horribly. Whether it was a truth or not, Dark wasn't about to get away from him this time. Krad released one of Dark's arms to grab for his throat, but the purple-haired phantom managed a hit to the blond angel's cheek first, striking as fast as a snake and rolling at the same time to switch the pin around.

Krad wasn't sure what happened as lights exploded inside his vision. Pain blossomed and he blinked, looking up at the purple spinning; grunting as Dark's weight bit into his limbs, but he couldn't help but to smile. Revenge would be so sweet after this. He was _eventually_ going to rend the thief into pieces.

"Krad, you better listen to me," Dark warned. "For your Tamer's sake, you should rest. Satoshi probably can't take too much more of this tonight. You got a hold of a very potent drug earlier. It wasn't a good mix for you and you were, unbelievably, more crazy, which led to more fighting. You're also somewhat sick from it right now, so take it easy. You may not even be aware of how badly your body reacted to the drug." Krad tried to yank his pinned shoulder off the floor. "Tsk. I knew you weren't going to listen," Dark grumbled.

"Get off!" Krad snarled, his angry golden eyes locking on to the luminous purple ones above him. It was taking effort to breathe; his lungs felt like heavy iron.

"Can't get free?" Dark mocked, unable to resist adding salt to the wound of his enemy. Gold flickered bright an instant before the pin was switched yet again, and Dark was found back on the floor. Krad's pupils narrowed to slits as he was able to grab Dark's exposed throat in a quick, unhindered motion. The purple-haired teen stilled with a gasp as the slender fingers wrapped around him. _Check_, an inner voice seemed to say, as if this was simply a game of chess.

Krad panted heavily as he wrestled up the strength to snap the neck in his grasp. A choking noise came from Dark, but Krad's own vision was going dim. Damn it! He had to stay awake long enough to kill him! A very bright glow of amethyst forced him to focus even harder onto the object of his hatred.

"Stop!" Dark rasped. "I'll choose Daisuke over Satoshi!" he threatened. Magic flowed stronger under Krad's palm, inside the being underneath him. Dark wasn't bluffing. How had the thief regained such control over his magic when he, himself, had not? Oh, maybe it's because of that other drug he'd mentioned. Unwillingly, but without much choice, Krad loosened and removed his hand from the kaito's neck. _Checkmate_, an inner voice whispered.

Defeat was as bitter as always, but it wouldn't last long if he could buy some time...

"I see you're not as stupid as you're acting," Dark said sarcastically as Krad placed his recently loosened hand flat on the floor next to the kaito to keep his balance. Footsteps started coming back from the kitchen.

"Is it safe yet?" Miranda called out. She'd undoubtedly heard everything.

"Get off me," Dark spoke to Krad. "I don't want to hear another comment from her." But, Krad didn't seem to be listening, in fact, his head was lowering. "DON'T YOU DARE PASSOUT ON TOP OF ME! THAT'S ALL SHE NEEDS TO DO HER FAN GIRL THING!" Dark screeched.

"Why do I care about your reputation?" Krad asked tiredly, but caught himself. Dark hastily lifted up and surprisingly Krad fell off sideways, easily. The white angel didn't even bother to try to pick himself back up. This made Dark study him closer.

"Why do you always have to fight, anyway?" Dark asked.

Krad opened unfocused eyes and stared with a rung out expression. "You were the one who wanted to fight this time."

"No, I—" Dark opened his mouth to deny, but stopped short, remembering to when he'd gathered his magic before the fight. When Krad's one eye had been open it had expressed a certain peacefulness. But after, Krad had barreled forth in fury. Could Dark have unwittingly provoked him? But, Krad would have attacked regardless of his actions and he was just trying to ready a defense. Yet, Krad hadn't attacked before then...

Dark was now confused.

"Okay, how about tea?" Miranda asked from by a chair. She'd brought sliced lemons, sugar, milk, and cream this time. She glanced at the two untouched cups on the coffee table. "Before these get cold," she added disapprovingly.

**-****)*(****-**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Special thanks to my Tiger and TrinityEve for the crazy discussions we've had. **

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"So, Krad, how do you like your tea fixed?" Miranda asked, while busily setting everything down onto the small coffee table. No response answered her. The only sound was that of Dark getting up off the floor. She lightly clanked the last dish down and straightened to see him standing over his so-called brother's still form. The hunter was lying on his side, eyes closed, and apparently asleep.

"He passed out," Dark stated the obvious as he bent close to study his unmoving opposite. He'd never get used to seeing Krad down and quiet.

"Well, what should we do?" she asked, bravely daring to step up next to the two of them.

Dark straightened and crossed his arms. "We should give him a few minutes, I guess. I really don't know what to do when someone conks."

"He probably needs a doctor."

Dark shook his head. "Nah, he'll be fine."

He looked mostly sure of these words, and since the two were definitely not human, Miranda decided not to push the subject. They probably had more than just their wings to hide, even if they did seem human enough without them. _Something about their eyes gives them away_, she thought, watching Dark. _And there is a certain feeling you get when you're around them. Maybe...they are angels... Nah!_

Ignoring herself, Miranda took to her knees in front of Krad's chest and started trying to lift him up. She wasn't very successful at getting the lax frame into her lap. Even though Krad didn't weigh as much as he could, she was just too thin to get him up properly. His head rolled back some as she did finally manage to get both his shoulders completely off the floor and toward her. Man! She wasn't this out of shape, was she?

"Huh...what are you doing?" Dark asked, looking confused. Why was she messing with and chancing pissing Krad off should he start to awaken?

"Help me get him to a chair," she said, as way of answering as Krad's ponytail slid bit by bit across the floor. Not liking the idea, but wanting to close the open window of opportunity, Dark quickly stepped over Krad's legs and bent down to scoop up the white angel from behind. It would be much easier and faster if he carried him.

"You know this is dangerous, right?" Dark asked, as he wasted little time moving to the nearest plushy chair with his cargo.

"He'll be grumpy if he wakes up sore from a hardwood floor. That wouldn't be good for us."

"I suppose not, but he'll be grumpy anyway." Dark positioned a slumped Krad into the chair and moved away. The tea on the coffee table looked tempting, so he headed for it.

"Should we wake him?" Miranda asked.

"No," Dark answered very assuredly. He reached for his tea, dressing it up some.

"I think we should." Miranda observed Krad's downward-tilted head, then began walking around his chair, studying him from all angles. The guy was a total hottie when he wasn't trying to kill everything. Course, being a woman with a woman's intuitions, she could tell that, while Krad loved fighting, he was more or less fueled by a jaded past. She was a moth being drawn to a flame, she mused. She stopped walking, circling like a shark rather, once she completed a third pass and came to a conclusion. She preferred Satoshi's mannerisms and looks, but this form and version wasn't displeasing at all. Like this he even came with a "bad boy" attitude. It was enough to make her feel like she was on cloud nine. And when she thought back to how he'd looked while Dark had been pinned down underneath him, she couldn't help but to wiggle and giggle.

Dark watched all this with quiet, but growing concern. Sipping his tea, he thought that maybe he should say something and bring her back from the land of her fantasies. It was kind of embarrassing to witness. It wasn't until she looked at him, then down to Krad, then up toward the ceiling with a faraway dreamy look in her eyes that a horrible realization as to what she was actually thinking smashed over him. He put down his now unwanted drink and walked over to her. She didn't notice him as he came up behind her to whisper in one of her ears.

"Think like that again and I'll erase every memory you have," he warned. "You'll never know any of those thoughts again." Yeah, he could sound as bad as Krad when he wanted to. She promptly spun on her heels and gasped.

"You can't do that?" Utter disbelief was etched on her face, yet so was uncertainty. She didn't know what all he was capable of, but she knew he could do a lot of things that she had no way of explaining.

"Wanna bet?" He grinned, lifting a hand. Amethyst light started glowing outward from it, outlining it eerily all the way to his wrist. In truth, this was only a raw form of magic, not a true spell, but she didn't need to know that. In the chair, Krad stirred slightly. Dark immediately stopped playing with his magic and dropped his hand to his side, cursing at his lack of forethought, yet again. Magic, plus Krad, equaled bad. Miranda stared at the blond-haired angel.

"Do it again," she commanded Dark.

"No way," he said.

"Then how do you expect to erase my memories?" She looked over at him and grinned.

"I'll do it later if you keep being naughty," he huffed, but she knew he was fibbing. She could see it in his eyes.

Even so, she closed in on him and thumped his chest hard. He stepped back."You better respect my persons!" she yelled. Her pride wouldn't allow for him to think he had her scared.

"Ditto!" Dark yelled back, wanting to gain back some ground in this new battle.

"This is a free country! I can think what I want to!" she argued.

"And if I erase your memory—"

"Then I'll still be a fan girl in my heart!" she interrupted, thumbing toward her heart to emphasize her point. Dark buried his face in his hands.

"Yeesh!" he cried, turning away for the haven that was the kitchen.

"Awe, don't be mad at me!" she playfully pouted. He ignored her in trade for the large fridge. "Ice cream is in the freezer if you want a comfort food," she sang merrily, then had to dodge a salt shaker. It broke with force against a wall further back. "That's bad luck, you know. Now you have to take a dash and throw it over one of your shoulders. Too bad I can't remember which one it is at the moment..." she trailed off with a finger pressed against her bottom lip, thinking, as her eyes lifted toward the ceiling. It was a habit of hers since early childhood whenever deep in thought.

She eventually veered her sight down to the chair close to her.

She took to her knees next to the chair, looking the little way over to Krad. Why was she so close? Maybe she wanted to see the blue-haired one, but his hair was already so beautiful. It wasn't long before an impulse to untangle some of the hanging strands became too much and she was busily fumbling with a random spike of it.

"What are you doing?" She heard Dark say incredulously from somewhere close behind her. He'd come up fast from where ever he'd been. His bigger hands gently, but quickly, came over hers as he moved them carefully away from the, thankfully, still sleeping hunter.

A blush came blazing to her cheeks at being caught in such a captivated state. She stood, quickly pushing passed him with a determined scowl set on her face. Dark gazed after her as she left, then glanced down at Krad.

"I know you can't deal with her, but how am I going to?"

He had to stop any growing attachments now, no matter how small they were. Their stay in this cottage was definitely going to have to come to a close soon.

**-.-**

The first thing Krad slowly became aware of was a heaviness. It centered around his neck and shoulders. Instinctively he tried to straighten his slouching posture to dispel the pressure, but had to settle for only a small twitch as everything seemed to weigh too much. A sensation soon came; it almost felt like he was spinning, or perhaps just dizzy after having spun, or something. Voices floated around then, causing alarms to ring off inside his head. With that, his brain decided to attempt waking up...and his stomach decided it wanted to come up first. Ruthlessly he forced it back down. It was rebelling strongly though, and he made a long, agitated grumble at it. Something ceramic came pressing against his bottom lip and he could have jumped. The contact was not something he was used to, nor was it appreciated.

"Drink this. It will help," came the blasted voice of the woman from his nightmares. He turned his head away in refusal, lifting open heavily-lidded golden-amber eyes to stare at her. Her outline was fuzzy, and he couldn't make her out properly, but there was also something familiar and purple in the background. Just as his eyes locked all the way open and he was about to shoot out of the chair, a hand smacked to his forehead and held him back. He gripped the armrest and bared his teeth, fighting and jerking what little he could to move. That's when Dark made the chair recline. All the better to make gravity his ally. It stopped with a jerk.

Oof!

And Krad had thought his stomach was doing poorly before.

"No fighting this time," Dark enunciated clearly and firmly from above him. "But, I wouldn't mind pouring this tea down your throat." The thief's words were punctuated with such obvious amusement that it made Krad's hackles raise. He could feel his back pulsing, almost burning around the area of his shoulder blades. His wings wanted to come out. Would his feathers be regrown by now? Did he have the energy to properly maintain them should he manifest them? He almost didn't care about the pros and cons, he just wanted to use them to whack the smile off the face above him, which he couldn't see because of the large hand currently blocking most of his vision. He tried to growl threateningly, but only managed a quick sort of gag. Dark blinked down at him. Krad willed the telltale green color of his face to return to normal.

"I think someone needs a bucket, or a trashcan, Miranda," Dark said, looking over at the woman.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't puke, Krad!" she shouted, hurrying to the bathroom. "If it's one thing I can't stand, it's the sight and smell of vomit!"

"Well, if you can't drink your tea, maybe I should pour it over your head instead, hmm?" Dark joked down at Krad. That was it. A white wing sprung upwards and slammed right into his cocky mouth, flinging him to land a mere inch from the fireplace. He rose from off his back spitting blood and shiny new feathers. Purple eyes flashed angrily to the blond rising unsteadily from the chair. Great white wings drooped at first, but then Krad forced them to arch properly over his back. The hunter was about to race toward the thief when Dark noticed Miranda sneaking up behind Krad. She lifted a small, black metal trashcan and before Dark could shout not to do it, slammed the trashcan down over Krad's head. A sound like a gong rang out and the white angel promptly fell on his arse, dazed.

"Why the hell does it look like Dark's been eating a pillow?" she bellowed angrily, her sights focused on back of the trashcan, which wasn't moving just yet.

"Miranda..." Dark said hesitantly. This was not good. Krad was going to murder her for this. Said homicidal angel slowly stood up, and that's when Miranda ran for it. Krad started lifting the trashcan off his head and Dark stepped up, determined to block him from the insane woman. Little did he know he was about to think she was even more insane.

Krad stood, a severe scowl on his face, then rapid footsteps came up from behind the purple-haired phantom thief. He knew better than to turn to regard them. A second later, Krad's golden eyes shrank right before a pillow nailed him in the face, giving off a very distinctive _WHUMF! _

Dark face-palmed.

"EAT THAT, JERK!" she yelled. Another big pillow slung by, making the thief's hair wave. _WHUMF! _It also hit its target and slid to the floor.

"If you want to get yourself killed, then be my guest." Dark turned and began walking away.

"Awe, come on! You know it's funny!" Miranda laughed. A sudden yelp from her made Dark turn back fast. Miranda seemed to fall in slow motion, flat to her back, a pillow covering her face. Krad stared down at her, red in the face and incredibly angry. The second pillow was clutched tightly in his left hand. The next instant the room was filled with feathers, and Dark couldn't tell if they were from Krad or the pillow he'd been holding. He could barely see! This was like some darn ninja tactic!

"Oi! Chicken boy! You challenging me to a pillow fight, or a freakin' feather fight?" Miranda half shouted from within the surrounding floating debris.

How in the world was Dark suppose to keep this woman alive?

"Chicken boy?" Krad couldn't believe his ears. He was stunned to his core. And, why did the comment sting? It stung even worse when Dark's laughter rang out.

"You should have seen him when he got too close to a train! He looked just like an overgrown _plucked_ chicken!" Dark crowed before his laughter was muffled by a blindly thrown pillow.

"Shut up, would you?" Miranda yelled. Apparently she's the one who threw the soft bullet.

"Wha—?" Now Dark was stunned. Didn't she realize he was trying to take the hot spot for her? Dumb woman! Angered, Dark threw the pillow back into the cloud of floating feathers. When were the feathers going to dissipate anyway? _WHUMF!_ Krad growled, and then the pillow came speeding back at the phantom thief's chest with enough force to wind him. _WHUMF! _The feathers finally settled to the floor and Dark could see the two again. Both Krad and the woman were sitting. However, Krad looked to be doing so only out of weakness. The shredded remains of the first pillow lay between them.

"Out of steam, huh, Krad?" Dark nearly smirked. Krad gave Dark a hateful look. His great white wings stretched outwards slightly in an obviously provoked manner.

"Would you stop that? No wonder he can't stand you!" Miranda snapped, standing and facing Dark, whom was taken aback by this. Two pairs of eyes fully focused on her, trying but failing to fully understand her. Whose side was she on?

"Okay, who wants their tea?" she smiled and laughed. Both angels fell over. "Loosen up guys," she said as she glided to the kitchen for some non-feathered version of tea, "that was probably the first pillow fight between you two. You both should relax more often. And don't say you can't because you're both enemies. That's nonsense, because both of you have good inside." Krad stared after her numbly, a touch of fear in his eyes. Dark looked over at him with sympathy. He'd finally met someone more insane than himself. Who wouldn't be scared?

"Just how do you know he's good?" Dark called out after her. She turned around and winked.

"'Cause he's the first guy that I've seen who doesn't like porn. He _must _be a good guy! A really good guy with lots of self-control." Dark had reduced dots for eyes and somewhere along the line he'd lost control of his jaw. Krad leaned up against a chair, his hair covering his face. They both said nothing as she giggled and continued on her way.

Dark pulled himself together enough to ask, "Well, are we done fighting for the rest of tonight, at least?" His expression was curious as he gazed over at Krad.

"I'm so confused," Krad whispered.

"There _is _more to life than just fighting all the time."

"I—" Krad began in the same whisper, only to be interrupted by Dark.

"I know we'll never see eye-to-eye, especially with the past we've had, but let us just try to keep it toned down for tonight, okay?" Krad's attention lifted from his lap to Dark's solemn face searchingly.

"I will not regret any decisions I have made for myself, Mousy." There Krad went sounding pissed again.

"Fine. Learn here and now, then." And there Dark went sounding challenging again. Suddenly, a cup got shoved into pale hands.

"Mind if I brush your hair? I've got a brand new brush under the sink," Miranda gushed beside Krad. Her face was so close to his. He was appalled to realize he was nervous about the fact. When golden eyes jumped to Dark, he noticed the other was wearing a goofy grin, but his purple eyes held worry. Dark really had nothing to fear, Krad wouldn't be stupid enough to attack the woman with his strength stats right now. He knew Dark could kill him at the moment if he so chose. "Good! I'll be right back!" In less time than it took to blink, the woman was off. But, he hadn't even gave her an answer!

"Haha! Hesitate for too long and some take that as a shy answer of yes," Dark said knowingly. Looking too tired to express any sort of emotion, Krad studied the cup in his hand. Quietly, Dark moved to sit on the feather-littered floor by the coffee table. He was within reachable distance now. "Want to add something to that?" he asked, gathering the stuff from off the coffee table. From inside the bathroom, something heavy fell. A curse followed soon after. "She's wanting to make you happy," Dark spoke tensely.

"Do not speak to me as if you understand love."

"I'm not speaking of love, but I will say what you do to your Tamers isn't love, either."

A heart throbbed painfully.

"You know nothing about the Hikari. You have no right to say anything to me."

Without warning Dark crowded Krad's personal space. "Wake up," Dark said gently. "Satoshi is different. Haven't you seen things even a little differently through his eyes? You can't be that lost. You're just stubborn." Dark closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the other, feeling him tremble some. "I lead the same kind of life you do. I can be here for more than just fighting." Dark opened his eyes and saw wide, disbelieving ones staring at him. More astonishing than the look currently trapped on Krad's face was how red he was.

"Don't get the wrong idea!" Dark pulled back. That's when he noticed the form in the other chair to his left, nearly behind him. Miranda was slumped in it gripping a brush with a death grip. She had fainted from the loss of blood running down her nose, a smile plastered on her face.

**-.-**

About an hour later... 

"Krad...did you just make that noise?" Dark asked disbelievingly to the beautiful figure sitting on the floor beside him. Krad gave Dark a piercingly indignant look from behind his long bang, but his cheeks were blushing quickly pink to red.

"No," the hunter answered simply. Dark scooted away fast.

"I told you I did not do that!" Krad spat angrily. He'd heard the strange noise too, but didn't know where it had came from either.

"Oh, yeah? Then we must have a rude ghost in here! But you may be telling the truth. After all, isn't it said that _women _don't fart?"

"Are you accusing me of being feminine?" The white angel looked murderous.

"All you have to do is own up to change my mind," Dark offered, shrugging. Miranda came back from another run to the kitchen and sat in one of the chairs available.

"Who was the idiot who said women don't fart?" she asked, looking at Dark. "I can prove that wrong," she said with a grin.

"Chirp," the phoenix said. It sounded like it came from the chair Miranda was sitting in. She didn't hear it as she began lifting up.

A rude noise was followed by an explosion. Miranda launched out of her smoldering chair with a scream. Both astonished angels moved. That had been so wrong... The first one to speak after this embarrassment was Krad.

"She killed the phoenix." He couldn't believe it. The little phoenix wasn't reformed in the charred chair.

"Chirp," came a close by and muffled sound.

"It's not dead, just stuck inside the interior of the chair now. That had some force!" Dark hunched over and laughed. Krad, out of his element, looked slightly green. "What's the matter, Krad? Need that trashcan now?" Dark was still laughing.

"One should never break wind when it turns those around them green," a voice that sounded very much like Emiko's said in a displeased tone. It made Dark shut up instantly and look around. No way was Emiko here.

'Dai, you're not causing me to hallucinate, are you?' Dark asked his Tamer nervously.

**'I don't know. I thought we were better now,' **Daisuke replied, his voice quickly losing that recently woken-up huskiness.

"What is the matter?" Krad asked, no longer paying attention to the woman hopping all over the place. Her cries became mostly muted as Dark answered.

"If you didn't hear anybody talking just a minute ago, then nothing is wrong," Dark said in a falsely perky tone.

"The only thing I _heard _was her." Krad crossed his arms. He looked severely offended. Dark couldn't help but laugh, and decided to credit hearing Emiko's voice to Daisuke having a fragment of a dream. The redhead had been just waking up.

"Chirp," spoke the muffled phoenix sadly. Little frantic scratching noises came from inside the bottom of the ruined chair. Even with how it loved to burst into flame, it seemed getting gassed to death wasn't a way the chick liked to go. Krad's attention veered over toward the unseen bird. He wanted to help the thing, but was scared to go near there. Dark was probably going to tease him about that. Satoshi was too busy caught up in laughing at him to do so. The blue-haired kid had woken up earlier thinking the undeniable change he felt in Krad was due to him still being asleep. Ever since that disbelief, Satoshi said everything that was on his mind. Absolutely _everything_! Krad would be glad when the kid came to terms and stopped blaming things on being a dream. He liked Satoshi better as a quiet boy that wasn't quite so _honest_ when it came to certain topics.

"So, how are we going to save the phoenix?" Dark asked. Krad gave him an indifferent glare.

"Finish blowing the chair up."

"I'm sure it wouldn't mind that," Dark chuckled. The sound of a vehicle's motor caused both angels to turn toward a not-too-distant pair of headlights gleaming in through a window.

"Oh, damn!" Miranda came rushing from the bathroom with new jeans on. "That can't be Mat!" She looked out from the crookedly fixed front door. "That is Mat! No!" She rushed from the door, not bothering to shut it.

"Um, is Mat your boyfriend, or something?" Dark asked. He didn't want to be here if he was. The anger of an enraged guy wasn't something he wanted to witness. Miranda turned and gave him the deadliest, most piercing flash of a glare.

"He is not, nor will he ever be my boyfriend! He's someone who won't take no for an answer! He often comes around hoping for a 'romp in the hay' because he knows that I'm lonely." She sounded disgusted. Krad looked lost to the term, but Dark knew what she was talking about.

"Is he a stalker? Is that how he knows that you are by yourself out here?" Dark asked, concerned.

"Yes and no." She looked to her feet. "I was renting an...adult video one night and he was working at the place at the time. When he saw which film I had in my hands he started discussing how it and a few others they had were really good. When I told him I had seen most of them he started asking me which ones were my favorites and why. Being stupidly drunk at the time, I yapped about things and when he'd asked if I was seeing anybody, like an idiot, I told him no. From then on he's been coming here. He's a freakin' stalker! I never told him where I lived that night! And no matter how many times I refuse him, he never learns that I'm not loose like that!"

Krad practically had a question mark lighting up above his head. He understood this guy was overstepping his boundary somehow, but the terms she had used... Dark went surprisingly expressionless.

"So, bottom line is you need someone to play boyfriend and scare this guy off?" Dark questioned, widening his stance a fraction.

"Well..." She twiddled her thumbs. "He won't be scared off easily. He's one of those hell-bent guys." Dark sighed and turned toward Krad.

"Can you take to the woods for a few?" Dark addressed the quiet blond.

"Why?"

"Because if he sees us both here, he'll think he could have a chance because it would look like Miranda is taking on multiple partners. At one time no less."

"This must be one of those human things. Why are you playing along? Why not end it?" Krad spoke seriously.

"I am going to end it, just not with a death!"

"Um," Miranda spoke shakily. "You can't go into the woods. Tons of traps are set behind this cottage. It's what keeps this guy from being able to sneak here. He took tons of pictures of me once. You both have to stay. And this guy is probably going to stake out here for awhile even if you run him off, so there is no point in hiding within the house; you'd be spied on eventually."

"What do you expect us to do then?" Dark asked. It sounded like this Mat guy should die, but if he voiced that, Krad would more than likely act on it. The old modeled car slowly pulled close to the house. The headlights flashed in and the motor cut off.

"Mat is a total homophobic when it comes to seeing two guys together. Please act like a couple and say you're both living here with me! Otherwise, he won't be convinced to leave! I'm not asking you to do this because I'm a fan girl!" She clapped both her hands together and shut her eyes as if in prayer. Krad looked outside. His expression clearly stated that he was going to kill, not play around. Dark wasn't beside Krad. He was flat on the floor. He looked dead.

"Please! This guy has done a full back history on me and knows I have no family relations. This cottage was left to me when my last living relatives died. You think a druggie like me could do anything to afford this place? Please! It's the only way to persuade him that you two aren't doing anything with me! Dark, you carry a bunny around with you! You could do this!"

"Ack!" Dark choked. Krad chuckled.

"Hey, Satoshi could act better than me! He convinced me once that he was a woman!" Dark defended. "Why don't you let him take over your form? You've got that _quality _to your appearance!"

Something zapped through Dark's entire body in one breath-stopping jolt.

"Guys don't fight!" Miranda whispered harshly. "Do something! He's walking up now!"

"Why don't we just call the cops?" Dark nearly hollered in frustration.

"Won't work because he has great connections!"

Both angels stood side-by-side. Krad folded his wings against his back as a shadow loomed in the doorway.

"Make a decision!"

Krad's gaze fell on Dark. There was a searching quality to the roaming gold. Was Krad willing? If he was and if Dark cringed away like he felt like doing, then what would happen? That would be a total slap in the face and Krad might go on a killing spree. The white angel wasn't to be trusted yet, if ever.

"Just act like you did during the play rehearsals, Dark."

Luminous purple blinked and narrowed.

"I'm not being the girl."

"Guys?" Miranda questioned. "It's now or never."

**-****)*(****-**


	10. Chapter 10

**-****)*(****-**

A fairly tall dark-tanned young man stepped into the house, his well-built chest on display from his open white button-up shirt. His shoulder-length dirty-blond hair fell loose around a well-kept face. He favored a pampered would-be model, but carried himself more like a California surfer dude. Dark instantly hated him, and growled out his disapproval, catching Mat's attention as he strode toward the middle of the room and closer to all of them. He frowned over at the two angels, both already giving him dirty looks of their own, before turning brown eyes on Miranda to address her with his hands deep in his jean pockets.

"What's with these two guys?" he asked, lifting one hand to rudely jab a thumb in their direction. "How come they get to come over and I don't even get invited?" His deep and irritatingly smooth voice sounded a little hurt.

"That's just the thing, you're not invited. Now go home, Mat," Miranda all but hissed. If she were a cat, claws would have unsheathed. The tense vibe easily made its way to Krad. His eyes narrowed a fraction, just enough to alert Dark, who was standing to the right of him. A hand laid on one of his tightly folded and barely hidden wings.

"Retract those," Dark spoke quietly from the side of his mouth, making sure only Krad could hear him. It wasn't like they were being paid any attention though; the other two were completely focused on one another—unpleasantly and angrily so. Krad turned and gave Dark an appraising look. He wanted him to put away his wings? What was he trying to do, even out the playing field for this guy if the guy wanted to fight? These were his wings and he wasn't going to put them away.

Dark wasn't surprised by the resistance he saw in Krad's expression. "Please put them away. Do you want to end up on the Jerry Springer show? You'd have to commit seppuku then," Dark said, with an incredibly straight face.

**'I saw that show once. It was horrible! Yet, oddly entertaining. But I wouldn't want to be around all those crazy men and women. Could you imagine being in a cage and forced to witness obscene objects and bodies thrown around in front of you?' **Satoshi mused.

Krad hesitated as his face suddenly blanked. That had been the strangest comment yet. And when one has weird comments buzzing off without warning inside one's head, it can make for a rather bad distraction.

"What?" Dark couldn't figure out the reasoning for this difference in his counterpart.

'I would never be forced into a cage—' Krad attempted a small rebuke.

**'Oh, yes you would. Your butt would be shot with a tranquillizer before you could say "who's there". I'd make sure of it, even if I had to run in front of a poacher hunting an elephant to do so.' **Bubbling laughter bounced around, quickly growing from the part of him that harbored Satoshi. Krad could not stop his expression from twisting into one of painful amusement, and Dark was really at a lost for an explanation. It bothered the kaito.

'Satoshi-sama, you obviously are not in your right state of mind.' And, without further delay, Krad's wings shrank until only two slits were left in the back of his white undershirt. Dark gawked in disbelief. He carefully tried to determine just what had come over his counterpart to make him listen so easily. It was difficult to tell; Krad put an unreadable expression as he turned to Miranda and Mat and straightened his stance. Carefully, Dark turned mostly toward the other two as well, but he kept cutting Krad assessing looks from the corners of his eyes. 

"You know I'm always available for you, but you still go and take on two guys behind my back," Mat was saying, somewhat harshly.

"I don't like you, Mat! When are you going to get that through your thick cranium?" She'd had enough of this already. The very thought of him under the same roof as her disgusted her to no end. She quickly glanced over at the two angels and saw that they were no longer squabbling amongst themselves. Maybe they were waiting for some sort of signal from her? Good. They must have reached a decision. Now they could help her out. She forced a smile. "How about I introduce you to my new roommates?" she offered in a slightly more pleasant tone. It was certainly the best tone she'd used with Mat since the time of their very first chat. Dark squared his shoulders some, preparing for the introduction. He definitely didn't want to look the part of the uke. If he was lucky, Krad would fall into that role. In his opinion, Krad was highly suited for it.

_WOOF! _Flames danced for a split second from underneath the blackened poofy and previously charred chair behind them. Everyone tilted their heads at it.

"Well, that was random," Dark spoke, staring at it.

"What killed it this time?" Krad wondered out loud.

"What?" Mat asked curiously, inclining his head in Krad's direction. "Killed?" The glare Krad sent him in return made Mat take a shaky step backward. It also had the desired effect of stalling any more forthcoming questions.

"Easy," Dark warned his blond reflection. Krad could be civil when he wanted to be, but maybe this was asking too much of him too soon? Miranda cleared her throat and stepped up beside Dark.

"Don't you want to add something to that to...you know, make it sound more _endearing_? Are you two going to run this guy off by playing a couple, or what?" she questioned quietly. Dark suddenly became horribly horrified at the task. His skin became clammy. He couldn't. He just _couldn't _do this! Her face fell as she realized it was a mistake to ask him to do such a thing for her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do something you so surely cannot do." Miranda faced away and walked a few feet, leaving Dark put out. _This is a challenge, I can do it! Yet, every fiber of mine screams in protest. But, if Krad can do this, then so can I! Yet.._.

Miranda smiled, a chuckle nearly escaping her. If she had as good of a reading on Dark's personality as she thought she did, then this was all the push he'd need to act his heart out. This was going to be great! She was going to witness a show AND get rid of Mat permanently. The guy would freak so much, he'd never come within ten miles of her house again! _YES! _

A couple of quiet seconds later...

"Honey, don't intimidate our guest. What have I told you about that jealousy of yours? Tsk," Dark blurted out, one hand on his hip, the other running through his deeply colored hair. He looked positively stunning. Sparkles came out of nowhere to glitter off his beautifully carved cheeks as he turned this flirtatious pose full blown on Krad, and Krad seriously didn't know what to do about it. Dark regarded him out of half-lidded eyes and the hunter almost missed the taunting smirk aimed his way.

**'That made me shudder,' **Daisuke announced from the depths of Dark's mind. Dark made a small sympathetic noise through their link. Krad stood numbly. He looked either ready to burst out laughing, or run screaming. Odd, considering who this was...

**'Do something, Krad! It's not like he confessed love for you!' **Satoshi bellowed at his twitching curse.

'If it was not a form of running, I would happily give this situation to your control, since you seem plenty capable of handling it!'

**'What's so difficult about it?'**

'Did you not just see what I saw?'

**'Of course I did, but I'm obviously not feeling what you're feeling. … You can't be...in love with him, can you? That's simply impossible...even if you do obsess over him.'**

'I am not going to comment on that. AND DON'T YOU EVEN THINK OF SINGING THAT REDICULOUS CHILD'S SONG!'

**'Pardon?'**

'The lyrics to that unbearable kids' song flashed through my mind. You know, the one involving a tree?'

**'Right... That wasn't me, Krad.'**

'OF COURSE IT WAS YOU! There is no third entity here!'

**'I'm serious, that didn't come from me. Please let this be a dream...'**

Back to the outside world...

"Um, excuse me, but you two aren't gay, are you?" Mat asked Dark, pointing back and forth at one angel, then the other. Dark shakily tilted his head down, seeming unable to speak at the moment. _Perhaps this man has a speech impediment?_ Mat thought._ But, he was fine a minute ago..._ Miranda walked up and stomped on Dark's right boot.

"WE'RE TOGETHER!" Dark managed to yelp as he hopped once. Krad's face started turning blue; from fear or lack of oxygen was anyone's guess. Dark looked over at him and snarled. He had no right to be turning blue, not when it was him doing all the work!

"Funny, my _gay_dar isn't going off," Mat laughed.

Dark felt his eyes beginning to water. He wasn't sure if it was relief, or disappointment in his acting skills that was causing it.

_These two fellows just can't be gay. However, they are cute, _Mat thought quietly to himself.

"Damn, Mat, you'd usually run away at the mere mention of boy love. What's with you?" Miranda asked suspiciously. She'd been hoping Mat would be long gone by now. The angels were seriously going to have to put more effort into this. _And why does Krad have to be the type to space out now? _She thought frantically. The white angel was just standing there with his bangs hiding his eyes, while Dark beside him was slouching dejectedly. You'd think Krad had never thought about love in his life from his ridged posture.

Mat laughed. "I took therapy for it and found out that my problem was that I'm actually bi." Miranda dropped to the floor in a faint, Krad did nothing, and Dark bolted from the room. A bang was heard a few seconds later. It sounded suspiciously like a head ramming into a wooden door. Face-palming in this situation must not have been good enough.

"You were so far in the closet that you were finding next year's Christmas presents!" Miranda rolled on the floor, laughing hysterically. "Wait..." she quieted down. _Does this mean he might go after my angels?_

Mat walked over to the second unmarred poofy chair, taking both hands out of his pockets and, as he did so, a few blue diamond-shaped pills fell to the floor, unnoticed. "Why don't we all sit down? If it's love counseling that's needed, then I'm the one to turn to," he bolstered. He jumped as soon as he reached out a hand for the chair, because there was a smoke-colored rabbit...thingy...sitting directly in the middle of it. Dark, sporting an 'X'-shaped bandage on the middle of his forehead, quickly snatched the thing up and moved away. He stopped over on the opposite side of the room and held With in outstretched arms, checking him up and down. "What happened to you, With?" Dark inquired with a tilt of his head. Some yards away, Krad picked something up off the floor.

"I bet he is why the phoenix flamed," Miranda said, leaning up against the backside of the charred chair.

"Kyuu..." With confirmed, a tiny puff of smoke coming out of his mouth. _Crap!_ Did this mean that the chick was loose and that they didn't know where the darn suicidal thing was? This was bad! There was a _normal _person here for goodness sake! Dark glared at With, who instantly looked contrite.

"Is anyone wanting counseling, or not?" Mat griped, sitting in the freed poofy chair. _Gaydar going off or not, carrying around and talking to a little bunny...he's got to be gay, _Mat thought or hoped, peering over the chair and reassessing Dark. He wasn't so sure of the blond guy yet. Speaking of, what was the beautiful golden-blond examining in his hand? He looked so perplexed. He walked very gracefully, Mat noted, as he stopped beside Miranda. He innocently revealed to her whatever it was he had in his palm and she let loose a shriek of anger. Dark stopped dusting off his bunny to race over to them to check what was going on.

"MAT!" she yelled, rearing back her arm for a throw.

"Ouch!" The hard object hit him right smack between the eyes. She must have been a baseball pitcher at one time.

"YOU BROUGHT VIAGRA TO MY HOUSE? YOU PISS ANT! OUT! GET OUT, YOU FILTH!"

"...Shit." Mat hung his head. Dark laughed, he couldn't help it. Krad just kinda stood there feeling left out. That is, until Satoshi finally explained the matter, then he simply wanted to forget everything. He did _not _need to know of matters he had _no_ intention of _ever_ taking part in.

'That's enough,' Krad mentally sighed at his Tamer. Ignorance could be a good thing sometimes.

"I hope you already took some, you asshole!" Dark laughed, rubbing at his watering eyes. Mat hung his head further. … Silence. … "Ugh, that's just not right." Dark was abruptly cured of his laughter.

"I have had enough of this," Krad announced, marching straight at the pitiful guy. Was he actually about to serve justice? Something moved by the man's foot, grabbing Krad's attention just as Dark came up behind the white angel to stop his advancing. Suddenly, Krad was launching forward, a terrified look on his face. Dark thereby threw himself to latch on to Krad's waist. Mat hollered as he scrambled up and over the backside of his chair. All of them thought Krad was going to commit murder. Miranda silently cheered. Dark and Krad crashed to the floor, Krad's outstretched hand missing what was the phoenix chick by mere inches as it ran away with a blue pill dangling from the first part of its beak.

"YOU FOOL!" Krad barked, twisting to see the idiot that held him.

"Wha—?" Dark looked past his angry reflection and saw the red-gold blur hurrying away. It stopped after a few yards and took to trying to swallow what it had instead. Dark paled.

"Does anyone know if the chick is a male, or female?" he asked unhelpfully, releasing Krad. Krad raised off the floor with a fearsome scowl and sprinted. The chick saw him coming and rushed into a nearby guest room. Krad followed, nearly tripping. Who knew he could be clumsy?

"What the hell?" Mat asked irritatedly, as he straightened the lines in his rumpled shirt.

"That was a phoenix chick getting chased by an angelic hunter that's currently off his game. Watch now as he chases his prey at top speed, stunning everyone as he does so," Miranda narrated. With perfect timing, the chick entered back into the living room, Krad hot on its heels. The chick ran straight for Dark, who dodged the barreling hunter; to its dismay and disappointment.

The chaos blasted on passed, entering into the kitchen.

Miranda laughed close beside Mat. "Welcome to the Crazy Cottage, Mat," she said evilly, with a face set to match. "There's no going back now." Some random pot banged from in the kitchen and the phoenix was spotted by a counter without a hunter chasing it. No...wait...there went Krad! And there goes Dark laughing his ass off. Chick and hunter disappeared from sight again. With all the noises and crashes going on, Krad must really be tearing up the place. A rather loud popping sound was heard, then a large object doing a power slide, ending in another terrible crash. A couple of white feathers floated up. Must have slipped on an unopened bag of chips. At least, that's the closest thing it sounded like.

"Come on! This isn't a barn! Get that bird out of here and stop this stupid mess!" Mat yelled in frustration. He was tired of not getting his way with Miranda. Time and time again something always hindered him with her. He wasn't considering the earlier given term of phoenix, nor where the _white _feathers were coming from. Idiot didn't think. Dark stopped laughing and glared coldly in his direction.

"You're right, this isn't a barn. Why don't you get lost, then?" Dark said in a tone that matched his unusually icy glare. He suddenly went from looking like a teenage goof ball to something otherworldly. His eyes held a mysterious glow.

"How exactly did I offend you?" Mat snickered, sounding more confident than he felt. This very familiar looking purple-haired dude seemed plenty capable of taking him out. With ease, one might add.

"You don't insult a bird around me," Dark glowered in all seriousness. For some reason, he reached with his left hand to just behind his right shoulder. Sensing this was escalating badly, Miranda jumped into his line of vision, waving her hands to fully catch his attention.

"As much as I want this guy gone, Dark, calm down. He's stupid, remember that." She gave a forced laugh.

"Hey!" Mat protested.

"Quiet, jerk!" Miranda snapped over her shoulder at him.

"Wait a minute," Mat paused. "Your name is Dark? I knew you looked familiar!" He pointed in shock, and Dark rolled his eyes. This irritating guy really never did think beyond one track or so, Dark was willing to bet.

"Cheep!" went the little phoenix from between Miranda's two sneakered feet.

"Huh?" Everyone switched focus to it.

"Well, if you're here, then where'd Krad go?" Miranda faced the kitchen and everyone followed suit. It was quiet, too quiet...but soon Krad flopped his head and torso over one of the nearby counters. A frying pan balanced on top of his head, seemingly like a kid's makeshift helmet, and it didn't flatter his hairstyle. Laughter rang out.

"Dark! Grab the phoenix and make it spit it out!" Krad yelled, regardless of his ridiculous position. Collecting himself, the purple-haired thief didn't need to be told twice. How idiotic of him for forgetting. He bolted for the chick, but just as his fingers could close around it the phoenix chick wobbled, closed its eyes, and fell over. He retracted his hand for fear of flames, but none came. Dark slowly blinked, then gave a forced half-smile.

"No worries," he said, "it might take it a few minutes to flame." He regarded Krad once more and straightened. Krad frowned at him, then glanced away, looking at anything but Dark. The pan was still on his head. Was he embarrassed by all his fuss?

"That's kinda cu—cu—bah bah...ah? W-what was I about to say?" Dark tapped his two index fingers together nervously, glancing quickly down to the left and right, anywhere but at the hunter. His expression showed petrified shock. Krad jolted. The frying pan slipped off his head, hitting the floor with a loud clatter. A blush tinted his cheeks as he stared over at the kaito.

"Okay, gaydar is officially going off now," Mat spoke.

"Yeah, it's so kawaii," Miranda sighed. Krad turned his head to the side, refusing to acknowledge anymore, then gave a sharp gasp as he accidentally slipped off the counter. The floor welcomed him with a smack. What was wrong with him? Oh yeah, the Angel Dust wasn't completely gone from him. That would explain Satoshi's behavior, too. That had to be it. But, what was Dark's excuse? _Better not be his way of calling me feminine again! _

A few minutes later, everyone was gathered by the fireplace in the living room. Dark stuttered to himself quietly, apparently lost in his own world. The chick still laid on the floor, apparently dead as it wasn't moving. Why wasn't it bursting into flames? What exactly did Viagra do to a phoenix? Should they throw it into the fireplace? Would that help it? Dread hung around the big room and its people. Surely something was going to happen?

"Why are you still here?" Krad asked Mat sourly, leaning with his chin in his left hand while he sat on the floor.

"I'm not leaving until I get something." Mat cut his eyes suggestively at Miranda. If she would have been close enough, she would have slapped him. As it was, there were about one and a half yards separating them.

"You would leave if I told you to," Krad stated in a bored tone.

"What could you do to make me? You have nothing that I'd run away from." Mat knew better than to hint around with this man; he didn't seem like the type to mess around, but he just couldn't help it. Dark internally shivered from hearing the obvious come on, even if it wasn't directed at him. Miranda hunched over.

"It just isn't cute when you do it," she said sadly.

"I could easily show you something to make you run," Krad remarked, agitated. Dark fell backward, circles swirling in his eyes as Miranda chuckled. Krad was so clueless when it came to hidden meanings within the English language.

"Oh?" Mat leaned forward some, now more than hopeful. He was thinking some pretty bad thoughts. Sadly, it involved almost everyone within the room. (Enough said.)

"Yes," Krad said stiffly, raising his chin off his palm. He didn't like the way his spine tingled. Was he actually feeling threatened?

"Hehe," Miranda giggled.

"Then why don't you show me _it_?" Brown eyes trailed a lower torso and sunk further. Instinctively, Krad drew his legs the rest of the way closed. More than anger played on his face. It was as if this guy was undressing him just by looking at him! He no longer questioned if he was going to kill the guy, he questioned himself on why the guy wasn't already dead. Repeatedly. That conversation he'd had with Dark earlier should not be effecting him this badly.

"That's enough, Mat. He's not into you," Miranda spoke. Mat laughed at this.

"That was such a girlish reaction! I'm smitten by another again!" Mat quickly reached over and touched Krad's leg. The next instant, he saw stars. Krad had backhanded him across the jaw so hard a molar shot out of his mouth. Dazed, Mat spoke once before he hit the floor, "That was another girlish reaction, but it sure didn't feel like one."

"I think you must have overdosed on Viagra before coming here," Miranda smirked.

Krad stood. He was livid.

"YOU DISGUSTING, VILE HUMAN!" Wings flared out in the intensity of his emotions. "YOU THINK TO TOUCH ME? I WILL KILL YOU!" Krad reached down and grabbed the astonished scum by the scruff of the neck.

Mat had never believed in angels before, why did he have to go and piss off the first one he'd ever met? The air rushed from his lungs as he was rammed and pinned to the closest wall by two arms. He gave a pathetic squeak when Krad's eyes narrowed to slits and those extremely white wings lifted up high in glory. He was so sorry that he didn't try a better tactic when it came to seducing this proud being. No one was coming to help him. A sudden whoosh of flames caught everyones' attention. Krad gave a repugnant sniff before simply throwing the curd to the left a few meters and returning to his previous spot. The guy gave a yelp as he smacked and slid across the hardwood floor.

Dark looked up at Krad. "You're not going to kill him?" he asked, impressed by the blond's self-control.

"Later," Krad claimed.

"Um, do you two notice something different?" Miranda asked, astonished. She was leaning back on her arms and had wide eyes directed solely on where the phoenix currently was. Dark jumped up from his position, and Krad blinked. A grown peacock-sized-and-shaped, red-gold phoenix stood with deep blue eyes. As it looked at them, it ruffled its shimmering feathers.

"Kyuu!" With jumped up and down in appreciation on back of the charred chair.

**'Dark, can we move?' **Daisuke questioned, fearing what else might have changed about the grown phoenix. It _had_ eaten one of those pills...

"So, it's male?" Miranda wondered out loud.

"Female," Krad stated easily.

"How can you tell? I thought the long tail feathers symbolized a male," Dark said, intrigued.

"Not in this case," Krad answered. "Take a look at the feathers that fall limply and trail all the way to the end of the neck. It is like a mane similar to that of a horse. Only the female phoenix has that. Remember this isn't an actual peacock, it is an artwork."

"Unusual," Miranda noted.

"Most Hikari artworks usually are," Krad agreed, "but if you notice, the markings are also different from a normal peacock."

"Artwork?" Miranda looked confused. Dark shook his head at her and she took the hint not to question further.

"What I want to know is how Viagra made this bird grow up," Mat said, coming back into the group. He wasn't _so_ dumb, as he gave Krad a lot of space.

"I have no clue," Dark shrugged.

"I have no idea," Krad remarked, while giving Mat an evil glare.

"Um, Mat? You should leave. You're pulling aggro," Miranda said, pointing over at Krad.

"I'm not leaving unless you come with me!" Mat crossed his arms defiantly where he stood. Miranda simply looked the other way. Krad abruptly walked off, which made Dark wonder why he was acting so differently. Wouldn't the normal Krad have attacked instead of leaving something undone? He must have his reasons. Dark followed him. Krad opened the door to the bathroom and glanced behind him at the sound of another's footsteps.

"What is it?" the hunter asked.

"Oh! Um, nothing!" The kaito had enough of an answer. He was going to leave Krad alone now.

"I'm tired of accompanying idiots that I want to kill. I want to relax. Were you hoping to join me?"

"Huh?" Dark jumped away, his face terribly red. He was not expecting that to be thrown his way. Krad's eyes softened some as he stepped in and closed the door.

"Do me a favor and do not pick the lock this time," Krad said through the wooden barrier. _That's for throwing me off earlier._

**'Nice tactic. He's sure not to bother now,' **Satoshi praised. **'Unless you're possibly going for reverse psychology, but that would require him to have an ****interest in you.'**

Krad stayed quiet as he peeled his undershirt off, taking great care with his wings.

"Dark, we have a problem," Miranda addressed the horror-filled countenance that was Dark Mousy as he walked back to them all. The black angel was in total shock about how _funnily_ Krad was acting.

"Huh?" Dark looked around at the sound of scampering claws running every which-way. With was in his true black-winged bird form, dashing from a pursuing phoenix. Mat was nowhere to be seen. "What happened?" he turned to a wide-eyed Miranda.

"The phoenix started what looked to be a dance, then your bunny...thingy...grew into a black bird...thingy...and joined it. From then on it has been a chase."

"Great." Dark exhaled. This night couldn't possibly get any weirder. Why did With have to decide to play at the wrong time? For goodness sakes, didn't his familiar know a mating dance when he saw one? Especially from a bird of all things? With spun for an open guest room door and the brilliant-colored red-gold phoenix lost her footing and slid right on by it. A man's scream tore out of the guest room With had just entered, and suddenly Mat was blazing passed in a panic.

"DEMON BIRD!" he screamed.

Dark had a hand to his mouth, holding his laughter in.

"Oh, yeah?" Miranda turned and shouted back at Mat, "Well, you're a PERVERTED CHICKEN! So there!" She stuck her tongue out at him as he disappeared into another room. Suddenly, she was engulfed in a hug with purple hair tickling her face.

"I'm so glad you aren't scared out of your mind by all this," Dark said, laughter in his voice.

"Um...ah...you're welcome?" She patted his back awkwardly a few times and he let go. "This is really nothing," she explained, "I've had many hallucinations that were far worse than real life, so I'm prepared for anything." Over by the guest room door With had run through, the phoenix stood, unsure of what to do. It backed up as another purpled-haired teen in black stepped into the living room. Big, watery purple eyes watched the phoenix apprehensively as With—now in Dark's form—stepped around the confused red-gold bird and walked fast in the direction of the real Dark and Miranda.

"Correction, I'm prepared for _almost _anything," Miranda restated.

"With, you can't be running away in my form. What if the phoenix gets wise and comes after the both of us?" Dark reproved.

"No pun intended, but then you'd both be screwed." Miranda helpfully acknowledged.

Dark pursed his lips as With began crying. Even now the phoenix was studying the two kaitos.

"Help! I did'na mean to!" With sobbed cutely, grabbing a hold of one of Dark's shoulders with both of his now human hands. Tears ran down his face and the real Dark wiped them gently away with his thumb.

"Awe!" Miranda gushed. _They're like twins! I wonder if this means Dark can turn into a bird? It'd make sense. _

"Alright, calm down. As long as you don't get excited and 'kyuu' you should be safe in my form," Dark said.

"Correction, you should _both _be safe," Miranda pointed out. With nodded his head, not daring to look back at the phoenix, who happened to be trotting their way. Dark noticed and turned to walk off. Scared, With followed. Miranda watched as the phoenix passed her, heading slowly and curiously after the two. "Ut-oh..."

Meanwhile, Mat paced the room he was in. It looked to be another guest room, though this one was dusty and unused. The only items present were an old bed, and a dresser with an attached mirror. He looked at himself through the dusty surface, his sheet-white complexion standing out prominently within the dingy thing. "I've got to get out of here! And I'm taking Miranda with me!" Problem was, he was currently too scared to leave the room.

"Stop following me!"

Mat looked to the only window of the room. Dark's voice had come from outside. Cautiously he walked over to it and glanced out, only to end up falling down on his butt. Red-orange flames had shot closely passed, illuminating the whole room for an instant. "Gah!" Dark hollered. The purple-haired kaito ran with everything he had as he dashed by and beyond. Not long after, the red-gold phoenix ran past, beating its wings in a huff. All Mat could do was lay on the floor and curl into a distressed ball.

"Dang this phoenix is smart!" Dark complained loudly, still running the length of the cottage. He'd thought that he could scare the thing away from him and With, but no; the thing had to sling massive fireballs at him. And what's worse, the traps Miranda set out back hadn't stopped it. As soon as Dark thought he had lured the high-strung girl into a spotted one, the thing sizzled it and kept running for him.

Dark turned and started heading toward the front of the cottage, the phoenix gaining on him all the while. He spotted With—still in his form—heading quickly his way. His familiar gulped nervously as he passed him. The phoenix came to a dead stop and whirled backward in confusion. Then, it decided to take off after With.

"Oh, man!" Dark said, grabbing his chest as he panted. "That thing can run!" He slowed to a stop to lean on the side of the cottage, trying to get his breath back.

"KKKYYYYYUUUUUUU!" With howled from somewhere.

Dark hurriedly pushed off the wall and ran back the way he'd came.

**-****)*(****-**

**Just so everyone knows, the Viagra wasn't my idea. Credit goes to my Tiger. I had to look the stuff up on Wikipedia to find out what it looked like.**


	11. Chapter 11

**-****)*(****-**

Inside the hideously pink-pampered bathroom gentle splashes could be heard. Passed the single cabinet sink and fogged hanging mirror, and further still passed a closed closet door and a hanging pink towel, was an orderly tub. The oval-shaped marble bathtub took up the entire far end of the bathroom and was currently full of steaming water and...naked white angel. He sat on his knees with the water a little ways above his hips, enjoying messaging slick conditioner into his golden tresses. His wings pulsed in pleasure as water droplets slipped off of him, and he smiled softly. It wasn't often Krad got to take a soothing hot bath, in fact, this was his first time enjoying one since he'd awoken in Satoshi.

"Stop following me!" Dark's voice floated in from the opposite side of the cottage to a small closed, pink-curtained window. "Gah!" Krad put his hands down into the water and allowed a brief wondering of what was going on with the thief. Golden eyes glanced to the ceiling in exasperation before he closed them and simply went underwater, pulling his wings close to himself to include them in with him.

_ Let them deal with it, I am through,_ he thought to himself in the cozy water. The next thing that drifted to him and blasted through the steam in the room was a loud, howling, "KKKYYYYYUUUUUUU!". It had sounded close. It was enough to make him lift back above the water and contemplate whether he should pull back the pink curtain next to him to see outside.

"GET OFF OF HIM, YOU DARN BIRD!" a very near and out-of-breath Dark yelled with all his might. This made Krad take a peek at what was happening out in the fading night.

The red-gold phoenix fought strongly to keep the Dark-look-alike back-first on the ground. With kept trying to roll to get up, but the phoenix was vicious in her scratches and beatings, and kept forcing him back down in her anger. Dirt and grass kicked up everywhere as With slid bit by bit backward until a large tree stopped him and he could go no further. Dark raced up and reached out, grabbing the high-strung phoenix by her long tail feathers. In an instant she was turning all her fury on him. Big yellow talons spurred him in his reaching arm and dug deep as she took to whacking him upside the head with her bright and powerful wings.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ow! Ouch! Ow! Come on already!" Dark could barely keep his eyes open passed the feathery assault, but with his free hand in a fist, he knocked the phoenix off him to crash against the back of the wooden cottage. She crumpled to the ground in a temporary daze. He shook the pain from his spurred arm.

"What are you waiting for? Take flight!" Dark commanded angrily to his stunned and stained familiar still laying in the grass. With quickly morphed into his black bird form and shot straight up into the air while the phoenix could still only watch him leave. Dark looked up after his familiar, satisfied, then started turning to run away when Krad staring out the window not two feet in front of him stopped him. Krad's clinging wet hair and sleek bare chest were clearly visible. It took Dark's mind a moment to catch up to why he was seeing this. It was _that_ awkward. Suddenly, pink curtains were snatched shut and he blinked stupidly. To his right, red-gold moved to stand. The phoenix then began flapping her wings rapidly in an effort to chase after the target of her affections, but she couldn't do more than a chicken could. She hopped around on the ground in circles, each time springing with determination that got nowhere.

_ Why can't she fly? _Dark wondered. At this point he was happy that she couldn't, but he was sure her wings were shaped to fly, so why couldn't she? It was a shame when a bird couldn't fly. He pondered as she took to finally climbing the nearby tree to get onto the cottage's roof, where she was sure With waited. A theory came to Dark.

"You can't fly because you don't know how to," he said, more to himself than to her. This statement got her attention from the low tree limb she was on, but he failed to notice the danger flashing in her beady blue eyes at him. "I bet you flamed too much and never grew from being much more than a chick," he continued. With these words the phoenix let loose an enraged cry and tore after the thief. Dark had just enough time to curse before he turned tail in the highest gear. The phoenix pointed her head down and snapped after his fast heels.

Golden-amber peered from behind pink curtains, clashing badly with their color. They shifted from the fleeing phantom thief to the thin trail of burning grass the phoenix left in its wake. When the pair disappeared around the cottage's corner, it was apparent that the phoenix was deadly serious this time. Fire had lit through all of her tail feathers like a wild torch.

"This is not good," Krad mumbled.

** 'Dark's about to get injured if we don't do something,' **Satoshi pointed out, curious to see if his other self wanted to help, or just stand there.

"I do not care," Krad declared, and moved from the window to finish towel-drying his long hair.

** 'What if the phoenix sets fire to this entire cottage? Everyone could die,' **Satoshi persisted. Was Krad never going to change? This was his chance! He could change his and the Hikari's fate. The past could be buried, right? Maybe? Please?

"They deserve to burn," Krad cold-heartedly replied. As he dressed into his clean and once again complete outfit, something smoldered in the back of his mind. He was just clasping the short gold-trimmed dress piece closed around his shoulders when Satoshi spoke up again. Even though Krad had grown tired of the conversation, the next words were enough to give him pause.

** 'They deserve to burn? Then you must deserve it a hundred times more. How many lifetimes have you lived compared to them? How many **_**years **_**have you intentionally made one suffer just to take them over completely? Does life mean so little to you?'**

It was now Krad's turn to smolder quietly, until—"Satoshi-sama, you forget that I am not human. There is no place for me in this world...yet. That makes all the difference."

** 'You have the infuriating mindset of a paladin! One who will do anything by any means necessary to get the desired result in the end!'**

"I am a holy knight that fights for virtue and justice?"

** 'Don't challenge me when it comes to smarts, Krad. I'll beat you every time.'**

"I was alive when the Twelve Peers first became well-known. I know the term." Krad became aware of the sound of sniffling. It sounded as if Satoshi was crying. This was new. It broke Krad's thought process, which was probably what Satoshi was after, because the next thing he said was:

** 'Come to the good side. We have cookies!'**

Krad paused in front of the fogged mirror. Even his blurred image looked confused as he shook his head and tried to get his mind around the previous sentence. He finally gave up and leaned in with both hands on either sides of the sink.

"What?" he dared ask.

** 'I'm trying to bribe you into saving everybody.'**

"What is wrong with you?" This wasn't the well-minded and detached Tamer he knew.

Krad got the impression that the blunette was rubbing his forehead when the other admitted, **'I think those drugs fried about half my brain.'**

"Must have for me to be so confused. I have not considered others in a very long time."

Krad took to working with his hair. He fixed the damp strands back up and was just tying his silver cross on the end of it when without warning a horrible, long, agonized scream came from outside.

It was Dark.

Krad felt as if icy water had been dumped into his veins as something ran above on the roof at the cry. This wasn't a game and this was no joke. Something bad had happened.

** 'Krad, go to Dark!' **Satoshi commanded with urgency. He needn't have done so; Krad was already turning the doorknob with vigor.

"Krad!" Miranda screeched, already running for the living room's door. She barely beat him out of the cottage as they both ran out into the early dawn. They sprinted around, passing over dewy grass and a few shrubs. Krad's stride easily put him in first and ahead of Miranda as he prepared to take on an angry phoenix, though why he was preparing to fight he didn't care to brood over. The cold air felt like ice to his damp scalp; he ignored it. They both kept running until Dark's form came into view.

Dark laid face-down on a patch of ground that wasn't charred a burning trail, unlike what was mostly around him. Both his hands fisted shakily in the small tufts of grass before him. Most of his back was exposed from his sneaking suit and something didn't look quite right about his heavily burnt shoulder blades. As they got closer, Miranda gasped. The edges in the sneaking suit around the hole were smoking and it appeared to be melted to the skin. With, in bunny-form, became visible over on the opposite side of Dark, his strawberry eyes huge and watering. He kyuu-ed sadly.

"Dark! Dark! Are you okay?" Miranda rushed to the fallen thief's side. Krad stopped before him, taking in the mess that was the phantom's back. The skin was an angry red and black bubbled from small rips along his shoulder blades. It looked horrendous. "Dark?" Miranda called, desperate to get an answer from the quiet black angel. Dark made a groaning sort of huff into the ground and lifted a single finger to appease the panicky woman beside him. He was in so much pain! His back felt like liquid fire!

"We need to get you inside and get that shirt off pronto," Miranda advised in a rush. "This time we need a doctor. Krad?" Miranda spoke, gesturing for Krad to go to Dark's other side while she grabbed for the thief's left arm.

"Wait," Dark demanded. He looked up with his dirt-streaked face to Krad and extended his left fist to the white angel. Perplexed, Krad made no effort to take whatever it was that he was being handed, instead he merely studied Dark. "Here," Dark said. He pushed his unsteady fist into Krad's right hand and a phoenix chick plopped into the white angel's palm. Dark was trusting him with the artwork that he stole? Why? Krad looked to the chick that was blinking confusedly around, then he looked down at Dark. "You just keep that thing for a while," Dark said, nearly pulling off a laugh.

"All right, come on. Once we get inside you have to tell us what happened," Miranda ordered, making a move to lift the dark angel's arm around her neck. Said angel wasn't too happy about that as more pain engulfed his weeping back. Krad shifted his vision to the side and took a deep breath before relenting and moving to the thief's right side. Wouldn't it be so much better for him to simply walk away now, back to the emptiness that wasn't so noisy? Wouldn't it? Or maybe to go ahead and kill...

No.

For some reason he wanted to sort out what was going wrong inside his head before killing his long hated nemesis. Things would be better then.

**-.-**

"Here, Dark, you should lie on my guest bed," Miranda said, as she tugged the thief and hunter toward the better kept of the two guest rooms. Their feet shifted awkwardly as they walked together. It was weird. Dark couldn't help but to think Krad was going to remove himself from under his arm and let him fall at any second.

"I don't want to be stuffed into a bedroom. Just put me in a chair," Dark spoke. He might be hurt, but he wasn't needy. He wasn't going to be put into someone's bed like an invalid just because of his own stupid fault with the phoenix. He should have made the thing flame sooner to return it to its default chick form instead of running and trying to think of an easy way of containing it. Damn! He didn't even have to worry about hurting the thing, so why hadn't he thought of the flaming option sooner? Now he was hurt, and Krad was soon expected to be recovered from the night's drugs, if he wasn't already. Dark had clearly put himself at a serious disadvantage here. He hoped Krad remained peaceful and would not want to fight later. The blond hunter did seem very different. Was this good? Was it a facade of the white angel? Would now locked emotions be worse on the phantom thief later? Dark didn't want that to be the case. But, it seemed more believable than Krad becoming an ally. Course, this whole entire adventure of theirs was unbelievable...

"Suit yourself," Miranda said, abruptly leaving from under Dark's arm to go get a wooden chair from the kitchen. It'd be easier than sinking in the poofy chair.

This left Krad without warning with all of Dark's weight, which Krad didn't want. The nearly helpless thief started sliding to the floor and Krad let his hissing counterpart keep sliding until—

"Ow," was all Dark whimpered into the hardwood floor. He knew Krad helping him had been too good to be true, so he wasn't surprised. Still, the knowledge didn't keep his back from hurting.

"Krad! Pick him up this instant!" Miranda commanded, every bit like a mother. She brought a straight-back wooden chair from the kitchen and walked over to the unmarred poofy chair to set it down facing the front of it.

A sour look crossed Krad's features before he glanced down at the kaito slumped by his feet.

"What are we, brothers?" he asked Dark, as he jerked him up to walk on his own two feet. "Does that make her our mother?" He lost his sarcasm as Dark hollered where he stood, wobbling dangerously, finally collapsing against Krad's chest as the white angel instinctively made to catch the infuriating thief. Now, more prominent in the hunter's mind than the worry of how bad Dark's wounds must be, was the unanswerable question as to why in the world was it that he had moved to catch the thief without properly thinking first. It made him extremely angry to have his mortal enemy hanging off of him and not fearing for his life, but it also brought a confusing and different sort of anger. As he was thinking this, Dark's bright purple eyes looked up into his. They seemed strained and guarded.

"Anytime you feel like bringing him, Krad," Miranda spoke. A sweat drop formed as Krad realized he'd been standing unnaturally still. He cleared his throat, then proceeded with half-dragging Dark over the large green rug and to the chairs, which seemed to be set up with an idea in mind.

Dark cursed something awful and Krad was glad that he still had enough of his normal sense of self to appreciate troubling his other half. His grin was very apparent as he seated Dark on the edge of the poofy chair. Miranda clicked her tongue in disapproval, but said nothing. Secretly, she was happy that Krad had chosen to help at all, if dragging had really been a help. Considering she had only the strength to do about the same thing, it was at least a convenience to her. She became much more serious about the matter once she noticed Dark's sweaty brow and how he shook slightly. She'd been stupid to let the black angel's calm demeanor steer her from the severity of the situation.

"Shit, you don't look so good," she said to Dark, who laughed at this.

"It's always been my worst nightmare to be called shit by a woman," he said, leaning back some. She caught him before he could press his hurt back against the chair's cushions.

"Here, lean forward onto the kitchen chair. Don't allow yourself to go backward," she warned. "And I wasn't calling you that, I was applying that to the situation," she stated, as she guided him to a safe position using the kitchen chair in front of him. Dark bent forward into the lap of the chair, almost laying down as he brought his legs and feet up to curl with him in the poofy chair.

"Awe, Dark! Your boots are still on, you know!" Miranda whined as wet grass and dirt smeared the fabric of her chair.

"Forgot about those," Dark said, regarding his offending boots.

"It's fine," she sighed. She looked beside her, only to find that an angel was currently missing. "Krad? Where did he go?" she asked, looking around. He was nowhere within sight. A little nervous, Dark looked around also, only to find no sign of him. "Well," she directed toward Dark, "can you raise up and let me take your shirt, or whatever that really is off?"

"No," Dark pouted into the wooden chair.

"Huh?" Surely Dark didn't want to keep the burnt and hurtful thing on? Unless...

"Don't be a baby. It's going to hurt worse the longer we leave it to sit on the skin. I should probably call the ambulance."

"No!" Dark flung himself up to lean on two arms. "No doctors! No anyone!" He then hissed and bent forward again, but Miranda caught him and made him sit up almost properly.

"Fine! Fine! You dunce! You'd have any easier time in a bed." She looked at him with a bit of pity.

Dark looked at her and shook his head. She rolled her eyes before reaching out to unzip Dark's sneaking top. He didn't approve and slapped her hand away, albeit not with much force.

"Dark?" she said in a warning manner. A certain figure's shadow loomed from behind him. Dark turned as much as he could as Miranda got a devious smirk on her face. Krad's golden eyes pierced Dark. He opened his mouth slightly in fright as Krad took to speaking.

"You, of all people, are not allowed to act like a child," he said seriously, then moved to the front of Dark as Miranda politely moved out of the way. He reached for Dark's hair and yanked to lift his head by a few of the purple spikes, better exposing the zipper of his top. Dark uttered a small curse, and grabbed the arm of the hand that was beginning to pull his zipper down. Krad stopped long enough to smack his hand off with enough force to leave a mark.

"Hey!" Dark protested the rough treatment. Krad got the zipper unfastened and took to pulling the sneaking top off. Dark suddenly went very still.

"Don't," he pleaded shakily. For some reason, Krad closed his eyes before he began pulling the stuck suit top the rest of the way off. Just the very tips of the suit were stuck to the skin of Dark's back, but it created a thin trail that oozed. Dark bit his top lip until the last of the suit came free and it was taken away. Krad then let go of Dark's hair.

Dark pressed a hand against his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Miranda bent down to ask Dark, who nodded into his hand. A tear slipped passed his fingers before he caught it roughly with his thumb and brushed it away. "It's over now, don't cry." Miranda wrapped her arms gently around his head for an awkward hug.

"Yeah, it was just a little more difficult with Dai," Dark said solemnly. Daisuke had been screaming during the top's removal, and that's what had gotten to him. Krad, who had been busy rubbing something into his palms, jerked as his eyes turned azure for an instant. He blinked, relaxing back to normal, and moving to Dark's left, stretching over and rubbing whatever he had onto Dark's back. It burned, but even as it did the angry red began disappearing and the weeping black was being wiped clean by Krad's hands.

"Awesome," Miranda commented, as she watched from over Dark's purple head, still within the braces of the awkward hug. Dark didn't seem to mind as it was keeping his mind off his back.

"What is that?" Dark asked Krad from under Miranda's elbows. A nice plant scent had made its way to his nose.

"Aloe. You had tried to summon your true wings as the phoenix hit you," Krad observed, making it a statement, not a question.

"I didn't know how hurt With was and the phoenix was getting too close and too good with those fire balls... At the moment, I thought it was the best choice, but...the phoenix came up quick and latched onto my back before I could get most of my wings out. It burned and I couldn't get her off of me, so in a last ditch effort I rammed the cottage with my back and she flamed into a little chick that didn't seem to know what had happened. She became just as calm as ever after that."

It was true; the phoenix chick was now laying on the guest bed Dark would have had, not fretting at all over With anymore and just as happy as could be alone in the room.

"Kyuu." With looked in the room and growled at it. The chick just blinked and chirped peacefully back, its outline made evident in the growing light coming in from a window behind it.

Krad finished rubbing the aloe on Dark's back, but two black knots protruding from the rips by his shoulder blades made Krad hesitate to take his hands away.

"That is a sight," Krad said, taking his hands back and moving to clean up.

"What?" Dark moved out of Miranda's hold as she let go. He was surprised to find that his back didn't feel as bad off as it first had. Still, it ached uncomfortably and felt stiff.

"If you thought having chicken wings was bad, you only have nubs back there now." Krad flared out his wings, as if pointing out that his case had been better, then quickly folded them back in before chuckling some in amusement.

Dark twisted awkwardly, looking behind him. He could barely see the tiny black nubs. Concentrating on them, he tried to summon the rest of his wings out. His brow furrowed and he closed his eyes, finally breathing out a quiet "ow" as the black nubs grew to a total length of seven inches.

"What the hell?" Dark studied the tips just passing his shoulders with a weird questioning face. Krad squeezed his eyes shut tight, jerking slightly. It looked like the white angel might have a case of the mild hiccups, but the lifting corners of his mouth suggested his was fighting the urge to laugh. Miranda stared at the tiny feathered nubs with a mixture of awe and disgust. Those protruding things looked hurtful to her.

Dark laid his head in his hands. _How mortifying, _he thought. But...it would be great to use this opportunity...

Just as Krad regained control of himself and opened his eyes, Dark pulled a funny face and flapped his nubs fast. The black nubs blurred as they made a sound similar to that of a hummingbird. It was an atomic bomb to Krad. He could feel the pressure of it weigh on his insides until he just couldn't take it anymore. He choked, bending over and going weak in the knees as water gathered in the corners of his eyes. He couldn't see anymore, he couldn't hear—all he could do was laugh with so much intensity that it hurt. And his Tamer was laughing right along with him. It was a perfect moment of unity between him and Satoshi.

Miranda toppled to the floor and rolled. The laughter ringing inside the cottage was enough to make Dark deaf, but he grinned and hoped he wasn't too red from where he was fast recovering from his earlier embarrassment. He was the only one able to see Mat slink out of the other guest room. A crazed look was plastered on the other man's face, and something metallic glinted in one of his hands.

** 'Is that a gun?' **Daisuke jolted inside of Dark with fear. Dark stood up, having to use the kitchen chair in front of him for some support as he stared at the opposing man. Mat smiled wide at Dark, then brought the metallic device up to aim straight at the black angel.

'It's a gun all right,' Dark confirmed Daisuke's greatest nightmare. But the gun was shaped wrong; it was too skinny and so incredibly shiny, like a polished piece of pure silver. It made the red heart etched on its thin barrel even more prominent.

"RUN!" Dark bellowed, as he tried to do just that. Krad instantly came back to himself as Miranda rolled and pushed off the floor with her arms, yelling profanities all the while at Mat.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N:****I'm**** going to leave it here for now...please don't kill me! I can't write the next chapter if you guys kill me first! I know this ending is suspenseful, but I promise it will turn out very funny in the next chapter. Trust me. And let me just say this now for Krad in the next chapter: Dude, I'm sorry... **


	12. Chapter 12

**-****)*(****-**

Krad's startled gaze zoomed to Mat as Dark pushed away from the kitchen chair, causing it to topple over with a clank in his haste. Miranda bolted upright from off the floor, quickly following the fleeing-almost-falling-over thief.

"Damn you to hell, Mat!" she screamed behind Dark, ready to push him to the safety of the hall near the bathroom and the stairs should he start to fall before he could make it. Mat, with his crazy eyes opened as wide as they could be, followed Dark's unsteady movements. His index finger began squeezing the thin trigger.

"GRWAAH!" The roar filled the cabin unexpectedly, and Mat jumped backwards a step, quickly redirecting his aim from the thief to the white hunter rushing at him. His extended arm and the gun's barrel trembled at the terrifying face and fluffed, outstretched wings of the beautiful angel. Feral yellow eyes gleamed as Krad closed in, pupils shrinking to mere slits.

Mat steadied himself, remembering that he was the one in control because of the weapon in his hand. He'd tame this beast coming for him. With a laugh and a less than pleasant smile, Mat pulled the trigger just as Krad was about to snatch the gun away.

Dark turned as he entered the beginnings of the hall, hearing the report from the small firearm. Miranda screamed and fell forward, straight into his arms as he caught her. He almost fell over with her light weight dragging at him, but the sight in front of him firmly stuck him where he stood; Krad lay on his left side, a thin trail of blood lining his right arm where his sleeve had been torn in a jagged line. He grimaced from off the floor, looking up as Mat retreated a few steps back to increase his distance from the menacing white angel. Mat then laughed out loud and pointed his gun right at Krad's chest.

"Ha ha! You don't have to worry, this thing won't kill you," Mat said, jiggling the gun lightly in his hand for emphasis. Krad's slightly shaky gaze flicked quickly from Mat's face to the shiny gun, and then back again. "But after you know what it does, you'll probably be glad that you threw yourself to the side to dodge like that. Look at the wall behind you." Krad bared his teeth in defiance, not daring to let his focus waver from Mat. "Do it! Or I'll shoot you right now!" Mat threatened harshly, jerking the gun a bit in his enthusiasm. Krad's nose crinkled even more at this, but he turned his golden head to look directly behind him and at the wall. Dark and Miranda followed his gaze. "See it?" Mat asked.

As if anyone could miss it.

A small dart pierced the wood of the cabin, pinning a long white feather there. It could have been a tranq, but what tranq had a tiny red plastic heart bobbing at the end of it? Krad couldn't help but to curl his lip up at it. The vile thing was filled with a light _pink_ fluid. Dark rubbed his eyes. Surely he wasn't seeing this thing in the wall correctly, then again, this was something coming from Mat. It was entirely possible that his vision wasn't failing him. What the _hell_ was _it_ though?

"Mat!" Miranda fumed. "You see that blood on Krad's arm? I'm going to nail you to a cross for that!" Miranda stood in front of Dark and the hallway, hands on her hips and glaring daggers. Purple eyes looked at her from behind, then closed as Dark shook his head slowly.

"Please do not do that," Krad sighed at Miranda. "You would then ruin crosses everywhere and I rather like wearing mine." Golden eyes looked back up to Mat to see him now focusing on Miranda.

"You're a pain, do you know that? Why can't you ever show me that sort of devotion?" Mat cried.

"Because you're not worth—" Miranda's remark was cut short as Dark put his hand on her right shoulder and snatched her backward to him.

"Easy with what you say," Dark said quietly by her ear, "he might shoot Krad if you make him angry enough."

She turned her head to the side and saw his purple hair so close against her shoulder. "Yeah, so? It won't kill," she retorted loudly, causing Mat to grin.

"It doesn't kill because am not a killer. Instead, one shot from this will cause major problems." Mat's brown eyes narrowed in evil amusement as he grinned wickedly and shrugged, faking a relaxed motion. "Let's just say that I came prepared to _get some _this time, whether you were willing, or not. Either way, this stuff will definitely make one willing." Dark nearly tripped on thin air as Miranda puffed her chest out like a rooster.

"WHAT!" she roared. She nearly stomped out of the hall toward Mat, ready to murder, but Dark held her back by the shoulders. A single golden eyebrow rose as Krad dusted himself off where he now stood. He stopped, glancing over at Mat, whom looked surprised to see him standing. Mat hadn't noticed him getting up.

"I think it is needless to say that this conversation has lost me." Krad did indeed look lost, but he didn't seem all that upset about it.

Dark rolled his eyes at his dumb counterpart as Miranda chuckled. "Is English not your first language or something?" she asked. He was just missing too much of the hidden meanings.

"It is not," Krad replied stoically. "Japanese is."

"Oh," said Miranda, going quiet. "That would explain things."

"It explains nothing. Krad is just ignorant to dirty talk because he's innocent," Dark said, amused.

"Really?" Miranda studied Krad heavily before facing Dark. "No way can he be that gorgeous and still innocent." Dark snorted as if to say "whatever".

"What do you mean by innocent? I am not innocent!" Krad hackles were starting to rise from the pesky vibe Dark was giving off. The black angel was joking about him somehow. Mat stood silently with his gun, just kind of enjoying the show, grinning creepily over at the blond hunter.

Miranda suddenly turned with stars in her eyes. "Awe! Krad, you're just too cute sometimes!" she giggled. Krad frowned. Dark smirked. The hunter then looked to Mat and saw him with his creepy grin. Krad cringed, and so did Satoshi in the back of their mind.

"Careful, Krad. You mustn't get _shafted_," Dark joked with a chuckle.

Miranda sputtered, barely able to speak, "W-wait, that's...not funny..." She broke into laughter anyway, but quickly regained her composure. "I wouldn't let Mat do that to him" she said, now very stern.

"What are you talking about? I was saying that he better not get hit with one of those needles." Dark feigned innocence and looked the other way.

"Uh-huh, I bet." Miranda cut her eyes at the purple kaito. Meanwhile, Krad was fuming in anger.

"Would everyone quit beating around the bush and just say whatever it is that you are trying to say!"

"Sweetie, you don't want to know," Miranda sighed, as Dark laughed to himself.

**'Ignore the title of "sweetie". Don't kill anyone,' **Satoshi tried to soothe the inner rage he was feeling from Krad.

"So, Krad," began Mat with a sly grin, "let me get this straight. If I ask you if you have ever _gotten in on _with someone, you have no idea what I'm talking about?"

The confused and troubled glance Mat got was enough to make him feel like he'd won the jackpot in lottery.

Krad didn't understand what was being said, but the white angel knew that something was very bad about that last sentence.

"Don't think that you get to corrupt him, Mat," Miranda said.

"Don't think that you get to, either," Dark spoke, coming to stand on the left of Miranda, carefully leaning on the wall of the hallway with just his shoulder. Miranda pouted her lips playfully before smiling and giving the thief a wink.

Krad finally relented and asked his Tamer for help.

'What are they talking about?' Even with his pride he still nearly whined.

** 'I'm sure you've heard the term "the birds and the bees". Apply that to this situation. You're on your own from there.'**

Krad blanked as his pupils shrank and the blood drained from his face. He couldn't stand the thoughts now running through his head. And what was worse is he couldn't seem to make them stop. He'd never have intercourse with a human! That would be...disgusting. _Ew!_

"Yuck!" Krad yelped.

**'He figured it out,'** Daisuke said to Dark.

'Nah, he had help. Just like you did,' Dark replied with an internal grin.

"Do not loop me in with what humans do! I do not do such acts!" Krad declared viciously, his feathers standing on end.

"You act like it's a bad thing," Mat laughed.

"It really isn't if it's with the person you love," Miranda said dreamily.

Krad felt humiliated and sick. He wanted out of the room.

"Besides, it's fascinating. As long as it isn't like what _you_ watch," Dark said pointedly to Miranda.

**'CAN WE CHANGE THE SUBJECT PLEASE?' **Daisuke hollered in embarrassment. Krad looked about ready to blow a gasket. His eyes were glittering dangerously.

"All right, Krad, I've made up my mind to teach you somethings," Mat said, while loading his gun with a single dart from his pocket. Everyone gaped at him.

"You mean that thing was empty this whole time?" Miranda about pulled her hair out.

"We could have escaped without fear," Dark whined, as he face-palmed.

Krad stood numbly.

"Too late now," Mat laughed and cocked his weapon. The red heart on it gleamed.

"Tell me just one thing," Dark spoke up seriously.

"What's that?" Mat joyfully asked.

"You didn't get that weird red heart etched, or better yet, tattooed onto your other weapon, did you?"

Miranda almost hit the floor she gasped so hard. Dark lifted a purple eyebrow, failing to suppress a sneer at the blush appearing on Mat's cheeks. "So what if I did?" he retorted.

"I'm going to bust a gut in laughter," Miranda warned, losing herself to a round of silent giggles. Krad just hoped that he stayed clueless on this one.

"All right lady and gentlemen, it's show time." Mat started stepping toward the hall, his newly loaded gun held high in the air. Miranda and Dark both stiffened. Krad wondered if he could make it to the front door if he ran for it. Getting hit with a regular bullet would be better than getting hit with one of those darts, so Dark and Miranda were on their own.

**'Your logic makes no sense,' **Satoshi commented.

'Pfft! Neither does yours. And just so you know, I didn't see any cookies.'

**'Huh?'**

'You lied to me when you said the good side had cookies.'

Satoshi didn't have time to retort as the gun went off and a door slammed closed.

"Idiot! Why did you run into the bathroom?" Dark took a second to yell at the closed door before hobbling as fast as he could to the old guest room. That door then slammed as Mat just finished reloading his gun again. Apparently, it only carried one dart at a time.

"Because I can fit through the small window in here, that's why!" Miranda's yell came back, muffled.

"I don't want to know how, or why you had to find that out!" Dark's yell was also muffled. As amusing as this was, Krad wasn't about to stay put. It made sense that now that Dark and Miranda were out of direct range, he'd be the next one shot at, so he slipped quietly out to the better of the guest rooms, silently closing and locking its door. About that time, Mat turned around to the recently vacated spot for him.

"Darn it," Mat said to himself. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" he called loudly. Judging by his voice he was enjoying this way too much. Krad breathed out, leaning back against the door, then glanced to the bed. The phoenix chick was there, curled up in slumber.

'We could use the chick.'

**'Or we could use the window and escape. The chick could prove more of a hindrance.'**

Something crashed in the bathroom and the 'F' Bomb got dropped along with it.

"Miranda!" Dark yelled angrily from the other guest room, "What did you do to the window? It won't budge!"

"I just remembered that I super glued all my windows shut!" Miranda's voice was lined with panic. Something else crashed in the bathroom. Krad's eyes widened as he raced to one of the two present windows. He heard Mat's pleased laughter ring throughout the cottage as he desperately tried to pry the window up. It wouldn't move, no matter his efforts. Finally, one of his hands slipped and his hand shot upwards, skinning his knuckles across parts of the window.

"Darn it!" he accidentally said loudly, as he brought the bleeding digits to his mouth.

"You mean "damn it", Krad! Say the appropriate word for this type of situation!" came Dark's reproving voice.

"Why are these windows super glued shut?" Krad bickered back. He might as well, his hiding spot was already compromised.

"Hell if I know!" Dark snarled. Panic was starting to set into him too.

"Because I was afraid of Mat getting in through one of them during one of his sneaks!" Miranda hollered. Something crashed in the bathroom again.

"What are you doing in there?" Dark asked.

"I'm trying to break this (insert 'F' Bomb here)-ing window!" Miranda yelled, now enraged more than panicked. _This is ridiculous_, thought Krad, as he leaned his head on the cold glass of the window before him. He wanted nothing more than to be able to step out into the cold and into the sky, flying away as fast as he could. Then again, that was not his style. If something threatened him this much then he killed it, simple as that. But he didn't think his magic would be of much use just yet, not without exposing himself for too long, and he _did not _want to get hit by one of those darts! Something crashed in the other guest room and broke. It sounded like a mirror. There just hadn't been enough of a glass sound to be the big window.

"Jeez, now I've given myself bad luck! Just want I need! Woman! What are these windows made of?"

"It's bullet-proof glass!" Something else crashed in the bathroom. "And I don't think we can get out!" Miranda was now officially panicking.

"Damn it all!" Dark stomped in frustration. "Ow..." His back twinged. Suddenly, a nice food smell weaseled about. Krad sniffed the air daintily, an eyebrow raised in question. Butter was now a prominent scent.

"What the..." Dark had the same questionable look on his face in the other room. "Popcorn?"

"MAT!" Miranda hissed. "STAY OUT OF MY SNACKS!"

"But I need something to enjoy with how much you guys are entertaining me. It's like a movie, so I thought I'd make popcorn." Mat said, almost innocently. Almost. "You're free to come get some, you know. I'm not intending to hurt anyone. On the contrary, I'll be gentle." Even with the door shut, Krad knew Mat was smiling nastily. "It's really good," he said, popping some into his mouth.

"Lucky you, then," Dark said jealously.

"I'm going to kill him," Miranda breathed.

"It sounds to me like you are both more uptight about that fact that he now has food," Krad said.

"I only had a snack last night, thank you!" Dark yelled back.

"He's touched my snacks, of course I'm pissed! I need those after a good dose of MJ!"

"Miranda," Dark warned.

"Oops..."

Krad began to woe: "Why is fate testing me with these idiots? What am I expected to—"

"Don't start!" Dark barked.

"I've got a headache," Miranda complained.

"Tough luck, sweetheart," Dark said, in a fake happy voice.

"You're such a troll!" Miranda snapped.

"Can I get some of your cherry Crush soda?" Mat asked by the bathroom door?

"Eep!" Miranda jolted. It's a safe bet to say that she was close to the bathroom door. "NO!"

"Thank you," Mat said cheerily, and walked back to the kitchen.

"I said no, you dim-wad!" Miranda began unlocking and turning the bathroom's knob.

"DON'T!" Krad and Dark both yelled to her.

A pause of silence.

"Don't copy me!" Dark shouted.

"It is you who copied me!" Krad said vehemently.

"You've both lost your marbles!" Miranda butted in.

"So says you!" Dark blew a raspberry.

"You're not helping!" Krad pointed out. All three of them sat on the floor dejectedly and sighed. What were they suppose to do? They couldn't stay where they were forever. Mat could break the doors down if he really wanted to.

"Does anyone have a cell phone?" Miranda called out.

"No." Dark leaned his head into his left hand.

"Not on me." Krad's wings drooped a bit.

"What kind of teenagers are you?" Miranda steamed, punching the air with her fists.

"Shut up," Dark pouted.

"You already know we are not normal," Krad said, then he added, "and I have not seen a phone in this entire place. What kind of person are you not to have a phone or a cell phone?"

"Blah... I just have no one to call," she admitted.

"I'm finished with my popcorn, I think it's time you all came out," Mat said loudly.

"Teh, as if!" Krad sniffed, then stopped as he realized two other voices had joined his and had said the very same thing.

"Would you stop copying me?" Frustration poured from Dark, aimed at Krad.

"Silence! ...I'll kill you!"

"Wow, Krad, you sound like Achmed,"Miranda laughed.

"Who?" Krad was interested.

"Shut that hole in your face!" Dark shouted. An anger mark appeared on Krad's forehead, but it quickly disappeared at the sensation of being watched.

"You know, that suicide bomber puppet of Jeff Dunham's? That show is—"

Krad didn't hear the rest of the explanation as he turned where he sat and saw, looking under the door, a brown eye and half a grin staring at him. Golden-amber eyes quickly took in the sight of the gun pointed at him. He leaped to the bed to avoid being shot. The next thing everyone heard was a _POOF! _

"Oh man..." Dark peeked out from under his own door. There was no hope of him seeing anything but the hallway, but he did catch Miranda peeking under her door, too. His eyes caught hers and she looked at him worriedly.

"THAT IS IT! I AM GOING TO FIND A WAY TO KILL THIS BIRD FOR GOOD!" Krad was pissed, but he sounded uninjured.

"Easier said than done," Dark commented.

_POOF!_

"Hey!" Mat yelped.

"GET AWAY FROM THE DAMN DOOR YOU (insert 'F' Bomb here)-ing PERVERT!"

_POOF!_

"Oi, Krad! Calm down some!" Dark shouted. If Krad was saying the 'F' word, then he really was pissed. Actually, more like insanely livid. Mat yelped again, and scrambled from his position by Krad's door, but that didn't stop the temper tantrum already going off on the other side of it.

"I HATE HUMANITY!"

_POOF!_

"I HATE DRUGS!"

_POOF!_

"I FEEL LIKE I AM IN A (insert another 'F' Bomb here)-ing CAGE!"

_POOF! POOF! POOF!_

"Make it stop!" Miranda wailed, covering her ears. Dark was laughing too hard to be of any use.

"You know if there is a fire, you're going to die, right? You're trapped right now, so stop, Krad!" Miranda shouted firmly. The poofs came to a stop, but it sounded as if a horse was breathing heavily from in Krad's room.

"Awe, I got a boo-boo," Mat said, holding his slightly burnt hand.

"Don't look for pity this way," Miranda humphed. "This is all your fault."

"Okay, let's play a different game," Mat spoke slyly, as he pranced to the hallway and clearly came into both Dark and Miranda's view.

"I want you to do something for me." He stopped outside of the bathroom's door. "And judging by your reaction, I'll do one of two things next."

"What is it?" Miranda spat the question out.

"Nothing major at all. I just want you to push a band-aid under the door to me."

"That's it?" Miranda asked incredulously.

"Yep."

"I wouldn't do it," Dark said. "He might just shoot you if you get close to the door."

"Eek!" Then came the sound of someone running and jumping into the bathtub. Mat sighed.

"Okay, I go with plan number two." He stepped forward to Dark's door, and Dark quickly used a pillow to block under it. It probably wouldn't stop a dart, so he wasn't going to stay directly in front of it. This would just give him time to pick a side where Mat wouldn't know where he was exactly. If Mat could be tricked into firing his one shot in the wrong direction, Dark could then open and thereby slam the door into him and take him down. Dark gulped. He hoped he had enough strength in him for this.

Mat scratched on the door.

"Little piggy, little piggy, let me come in," he said creepily. Sweating, Dark decided to lighten the pressure he was feeling.

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," he said determinedly.

If Mat wanted to play a game, then he'd play a game. He was going to win it, though. Mat would find that out the hard way.

Purple eyes glistened and pupils reduced to slits as a chuckle came from out on the other side.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N: The last part is for, of course, you, Dawn, who got Vic to actually say this line. I hope you like how I've done this. As I wrote the three in different rooms, I thought about the tale of the three little pigs. I don't know why and I didn't ask myself. But I remembered the little video on youtube because of it and I wanted to make this little scene. **

**I went easier than I had intended with Krad, but that doesn't mean it will go as smoothly next chapter! **


	13. Chapter 13

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"Your words say you want to play, but your attitude isn't quite right," Mat joked from the opposite side of the door. "I can fix that," he threatened.

"Why don't you go and get yourself fixed?" Dark forced a chuckle as he flexed his hands. _I need to pick a side. Right, or left? _Which one would be better?_ Mat holds the gun with his right hand so he's right handed...AW!_ Did it really matter? Dark put his back near the wall with the door on his right. And it was then that he realized something. The door swung inwards, not outwards. Was he a novice, or just not thinking? He'd recently came through that very door, he should have known this! Mat laughed wickedly, almost as if he knew Dark had made some grand mistake.

"Come on, just open the door. I can show you any tricks you need to know, or want to learn," Mat promised. If only Mat could have seen Dark's face.

_He's nuts! _Dark was tempted to say this out loud, but that would give away his position, which was still good _if_ once Mat fired, he could fling himself out the door and tackle the gun out of his hand. If not, then oh boy. Times like these is when he really cursed his bird-like heritage. It made drugs _so_ much worse, and if he got hit with one dart, just one... Dark gulped. He didn't want to think about it. He _knew _something embarrassing would happen. And this was his Tamer's pure body, not his own to do with what he pleased. Of course, he didn't really want to _do _anything. The woman he wanted in every aspect of his life was gone, and it wasn't like the situation that stopped him then wasn't the same as now. Dark clinched his fist, his resolve to win flared even higher.

"Come on, aren't you going to say something?" Mat taunted, his voice sounding low to the floor. He was in a position to shoot. He could taunt all he wanted, but Dark wasn't foolish enough to bite the bait. Not when it wouldn't turn out in his favor, anyway. Now, what he needed was a way to trick Mat of his location. But how was he going to do that?

Quietly, something sneaked, intent on getting behind Mat. The figure—clad in all black—was being cautious enough not to make the slightest sound. It was almost ghost-like in its stealth. Inside the bathroom, Miranda gulped, trying to steel herself. She knew she didn't stand a chance against Mat one-on-one, but if she could distract him and another come to her rescue—namely Krad—Dark could be saved. She knew she couldn't leave Dark as hurt as he was to fend for himself; he'd never survive. Now if he was up to full health, then...this would be a different story.

She twiddled her thumbs.

Krad was so unpredictable. No one could guarantee his help for her. In fact, he'd probably use the chaos to simply leave. _But that would be cowardly and he wouldn't do that! _She sighed, still twiddling her thumbs, unable to totally believe in the golden-haired beauty. _Well, if all else fails, _thought Miranda, pursing her lips, _then I could always shout out that now is his chance to beat Mat to a bloody pulp. Surely he'd come to my rescue then, if nothing else but for revenge!_

Miranda was still too caught up in her thoughts to notice the shadow under the door, cast by a pair of legs creeping closely by, until she opened the door a fraction and glimpsed the figure itself.

_NO WAY! _She grabbed her heart and a small startled noise passed her lips. Purple eyes whipped to the side to see her, looking out from long purple bangs. "Dark? But you're trapped in the room." The supposed Dark tilted his head at her, a different sort of gleam in his too innocent eyes. "Oh, that's right. You must be that bunny thing." All too fast a shot rang out. Miranda squeaked and slammed the door in fright as With kyuu-ed and nearly jumped out of his human skin. He then went down like a ton of bricks, just as the old guest room door opened and out came the real Dark. And he was raging, if his scary countenance was anything to go by.

Miranda hovered behind the bathroom door in a slight state of shock, unsure of what to do. _It's my fault! It's my fault! What do I do?_

Krad opened his door about halfway to witness what was going on. Out by his feet came the little phoenix, totally happy after being made to poof so many times. It strutted to the middle of the room before the commotion going on in the hallway grabbed its beady-eyed attention.

"YOU BASTARD!" A heavy punch sounded and the silver gun flung to the wall behind a stunned Mat, then Dark was on him—heaving him up off the floor by the white shirt on his chest and repeatedly slamming him back first into the wall. The one-sided battle soon became as vicious and brutal as a street fight as Dark began punching every inch of Mat he could reach. Unable to do anything to defend, a knee came up and Mat doubled over it, releasing a harsh gasp as Dark brought his two hands together to hammer the back of a dirty-blond head. It was a finishing move meant to end the small fight, and Mat crumpled fast to the floor.

The phoenix chick chirped and jumped in place merrily. Dark looked up, sparing it a glance, then raced the few steps to kneel next to the unmoving With. Miranda opened the bathroom door again, and felt like doing a happy little jig at the sight of Mat, but wanted to find out if the Dark-look-alike was all right first. She stepped out enough to view Krad standing in his own doorway. She couldn't read the expression on his face well enough to know whether he was more relieved, or pissed that it was Dark who had ended up beating Mat. Jeez, competitive much?

"With?" said Dark, shaking one shoulder shaped just like his. "Are you crazy? You should have just attacked him, not tried to be nice and simply snatch the gun away!" Because that's just what With had been trying to do. He'd wanted to take the gun away rather than hurt Mat. That was just how Dark's familiar was; he never wanted to hurt anybody.

With remained a motionless carbon copy of Dark, his face set of one asleep. Dark's eyes widen the slightest bit at his familiar. He pulled in a breath, then began checking frantically for a dart; his eyes and hands moving over the still form quickly. Surely With had only fainted at the startling noise of the gun? Surely he hadn't allowed himself to be hit? Not by one of those _things_. There was no telling what it would do to his familiar. Miranda, and even Krad began inching closer to them. Hopefully curiosity wouldn't kill the cats.

"Did he get hit?" Miranda asked, as she took to her knees to help check With's right side. Dark couldn't reach too good. Yes, the kaito was still on his adrenaline rush from fighting, but he still had a very hurt back and couldn't stretch over the best.

"I don't know," Dark said worriedly. At that, Krad decided not to step any closer. He stayed put with the jumping phoenix, right in the middle of the room.

'I should leave...'

**'Not until we know that this is over for sure, otherwise Dark will never let you live it down,' **Satoshi said, just to keep Krad from flying off like he very much wanted. He was extremely close to just leaving anyway, but that wouldn't satisfy the blunette if he did. Satoshi needed to make sure that any loose ends here were tied up before they left, so that meant staying and making sure both Mat and Miranda were dealt with. **'We need to make sure Mat's out of commission, and that Dark can leave with his familiar.' **Because he was sure that if Dark was able to work enough magic, he'd erase everyones' memories. He just wasn't sure the phantom thief had it in him to deal with it all on his own if their problems weren't completely over yet, and heaven forbid Krad try to erase any memories. That could _only _end in disaster.

'What are you plotting, Satoshi-sama?' Krad asked politely, but also slyly. He could almost hear the gears turning in his Tamer's head. Satoshi didn't want Krad to try any short cuts in order to hurry and leave; that could cost any of them. So he gave only half of the truth.

**'How best to have Mat arrested for his actions tonight. It's not in my jurisdiction out here, but I'm not leaving him to repeat this.' **Which would be frustrating at best to deal with because Mat wouldn't remember any of this having happened once Dark finished with him. How was he suppose to be convicted for an act he couldn't remember doing?

Krad could tell there was more going on in Satoshi's thoughts, but he wasn't interested enough to pursue the subject further. The laws of humans were filled with idiotic rules and carefully placed loopholes. It was enough to make his brain turn to slush even as it angered him to no end. He _hated _the fact that Satoshi had taken on the occupation that he had. (That's a thing he hated about not having a life of his own; he couldn't escape the cruelty of paperwork. However, the thrill of a chase was always nice...)

"Oh no," Miranda said, catching everyones' attention. Dark froze as she lifted With's right arm. There, stuck on the inside of his wrist, was the dart. He had gotten hit, and either the stuff, or the sudden explosion of noise had made him faint. What would happen once With woke up? Dark didn't want to think that his little familiar would be a raving, hormone-imbalanced fiend. He rested his head wearily in both hands.

"What are we going to do?" he asked tiredly.

"Whatever you do, don't include me in it," Krad spoke, ruffling his feathers. This made Miranda chuckle.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, waving a hand. Dark lifted out of his own to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "His statement sounded dirty to me," she admitted, biting her bottom lip.

"It would to you. The whole human race is nothing but filth," Krad practically spat the words with his arms folded and nose held high in the air.

"Hey! Knock it off! Don't try to act superior, or anything, because you're far from it!" Dark bristled. The little nubs on his back were fluffed out as far as they could be. Krad faced Dark, and the look in his molten-golden eyes rebuked the kaito clearly. It sure didn't take much to get these two fighting like cats and dogs.

"Stop you two. We have other problems to deal with."

Both angels remained quiet, but continued to glare at each other. Their looks promised this would be settled some time in the near future.

"All right now, Dark, since With is yours, I think you should be ready to calm him down once he wakes up. Krad can stand guard over Mat, and I'll get the gun and keep it hidden somewhere, then fix us breakfast. Sound good?" Miranda smiled. Krad grinned evilly.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea. If you leave Krad to guard Mat, then we have a dead man on our hands," Dark said, matter-of-fact like. Miranda gave Dark a droll look.

"And this worries you why?" she asked in total seriousness. "I mean, who gives a hoot about Mat?"

"Hmm...good point," Dark said, rubbing his chin. He then glanced at the phoenix chick whom was now dancing in front of Krad. It was hopping into the air, spinning and twirling, then prancing in place and flapping its wings while shaking its tiny tail feathers. It was oddly entertaining to watch. "Um...why is it dancing like that?" Dark's eyes were still following the chick, but the question was obviously directed to Krad. Krad looked down at it, just noticing it.

"I do not have the answer to that," he replied, and nudged it with his white boot. The chick fell out of its rhythm and turned toward him. Its beady blue eyes blinked as it chirped happily up at the white angel.

"Okay," said Miranda, after having been snapped out of the trance of watching the little chick, "let's get back to the important matters at hand. Dark, you should take With to the bathroom and put him in the bathtub. Get ready to use plenty of cold water. Krad," she said, as she looked at the white angel, "perhaps you could help Dark pick With up. I think he might need some help." Dark grumbled to himself.

"And what is the self-appointed queen going to do?" Krad asked sarcastically, while already stepping closer. Albeit he looked a bit nervous to be moving closer to With. It was as if he thought he might become contaminated.

"I'm going to get that gun and go tend to breakfast, just like I've already said," Miranda huffed. "So the better we work together, the faster a good meal gets fixed."

"Can there be plenty of meat?" Dark asked hopefully.

"Sure thing." Miranda smiled again.

A few minutes later, With was settled in the tub and ready to be awoken by Dark, Mat was tied up and thrown in the back of his car outside with Krad standing watch from on the porch swing, and Miranda was busy fixing hamburger meat, sausage, and bacon. Lastly, the gun was hidden in the snack cupboard.

Finally, the sun was well and truly rising, bringing some warmth as the cottage filled with delicious smells. Dark's hunger pangs were getting worse by the second. Krad was lucky to be outside where he couldn't be tormented by the mouthwatering scents.

"With, time to wake up." Dark lightly tapped With on the cheek and said a silent prayer to himself. Maybe the stuff in the darts wouldn't have any effect on his familiar.

And maybe Fate would finally grant him his own form and a life outside of the Niwas.

Slowly, With's eyes opened, revealing a bright purple. The familiar then sat up so quickly that Dark had to dodge to avoid colliding heads with him. "Kyuu," With whined shakily as he hunched over and hugged himself. Dark stood up and studied the terrified figure.

"You okay?" Dark asked. With glanced over his shoulder. His lips were in a severe pout and his eyes clearly asked, "Do I look okay to you?". The little guy was clearly scared, not trying to be sarcastic. Dark blew out a breath and glanced away from the distressed look. There was nothing he could do except let the drug run its course. "Listen, With, I guess it's time we had "The Talk"." With looked even more frighten, if that was possible. He launched out of the bathtub in one quick spring, grabbing Dark around the neck and hanging on as tightly as he could, shaking and kyuuing next to his master's ear. "WHOA! NO, NO! STAY IN THE TUB!" Dark began prying the arms from around his neck.

"BUT, I'M NOT BAD!" With cried, hugging tighter.

"I DIDN'T SAY YOU WERE!" Dark managed to get the arms from around him and hold them firmly to his familiar's sides. "The weird feeling will go away soon and cold water will help, so let's get some water running. I'll save "The Talk" for another time. Probably wouldn't do much good right now, anyway." Dark backed With up until he stepped over the tub's edge and stood in the middle of it. "Why don't you return to your bunny form? This will be much easier then." With shook his head, meaning he couldn't change back for whatever reason. "Perfect! Drugs mess everything up. This couldn't be easy, could it?" Dark growled, causing With to sniffle.

"Look, just stay in here for now," Dark said, forcing his temper back. With nodded sadly as his master walked out of and shut the bathroom door. "And get a cold shower," he advised. Immediately the water ran within the tub. With squeaked at the temperature. Dark rubbed his forehead, knowing his familiar hadn't thought to take his magic-made clothes off first. The kaito then made his way to the entry of the kitchen.

"Is the food ready yet?" he asked, trying not to sound too tired. Truth was, he was drained, and his sore back wasn't helping. Sleep should come right after getting a full belly, but of course, he had things to do before he could rest. One was erasing memories of himself and Krad from Miranda and Mat, then to finish helping With, then finally flying home. He wasn't totally sure he was up to flying, though. Maybe it would be best to deal with just Mat for the moment and rest here.

"Patience," Miranda replied to the hungry thief. "It's almost done." She turned away from the stove with a pan full of fluffy scrambled eggs mixed with cheese and chopped potatoes. Dark couldn't help staring at it as she dumped it in a plate on the big wooden table where it was surrounded by hamburger patties, toast, bacon, lettuce, sausages, tomatoes, and hot grits. His mouth watered, in fact he had to swipe some drool that ran down his chin. He hadn't been this hungry in forever; not since Emiko had kept him well-fed. Miranda looked up and laughed at the expression on the kaito's face before moving to set the pan to soak in the sink.

"You'd better grab a plate before you waste away," she joked. Dark didn't get mad at her teasing, just silently agreed while stepping further into the kitchen. Miranda reached into a cupboard and pulled some nice china plates down. "Here you go," she said, handing one to Dark, who took it. "You can eat all you want after you let me fix Krad and myself plates first."

"What? Do you think I'm a hog, or something?" Dark pouted, but moved out of her way to show his compliance. "And don't tell me that you're gonna eat with Krad outside..._on the porch swing together_," Dark finished in a know-it-all tone with suspicious, narrowed eyes. Miranda blushed and looked at him angrily.

"Shut up," she growled.

"He's going to end up blasting you into next year." Dark shrugged nonchalantly.

"_I'm_ going to blast you into _oblivion_ if you don't shut up!" she practically screamed. Dark chewed on the inside of his lip and thought better of any further remarks. Far be it for him to get clobbered to death by a woman throwing a hissing fit. With Mat drawing Krad's wrath and Miranda bringing him food, maybe Krad would be less inclined to hurt her. Or he could at least hold out for a few more hours until they left. As Dark thought to himself, Miranda finished fixing two heaping plates.

"All right, all yours," she beamed and walked out for the porch.

"Good luck," Dark murmured under his breath.

Miranda walked out into the sunshine and fresh, cool air with a plate held in each hand and a slight smile on her face. She looked to her left, where her porch swing was and where Krad was suppose to be, only to see no one there. She glanced around for a moment in shock. The expansive ground of green grass was empty aside from Mat's powder blue Volvo. He couldn't have just left, could he? Her face fell. He was nowhere within sight.

"Krad?" she called out loud in some small hope that he was still around. To her surprise, a shiny, golden, long-haired figure stood up from behind the blue Volvo, making the metal contraption appear more dingier than it already was.

"Yes?" he questioned politely, while dusting his hands off. Miranda's concern was quickly replaced by curiosity.

"What were you doing?"

Golden-amber regarded her black irises. "Nothing," Krad said, without missing a beat. Miranda wasn't going to buy it, but her attention got redirected to how the sun glistened through the pure white feathers on his large, curved, and flawless wings. She shook her head. Was she kinky enough to be into things like extra limbs and junk on people? Sure seemed like it.

"Come eat," she said, while holding up a plate to show she had his food at hand. She'd let whatever he was doing to Mat's car go for now as long as she got to sit beside him and eat on the swing, which is where she turned to head. Just before she made it to the huge porch swing, she heard Krad make his way up the porch steps. Was he actually going to follow her over here? She turned to sit down on the swing and sure enough, Krad was walking steadily in her direction. Butterflies set loose in her stomach. Darn, there went her ability to eat breakfast. But it could be a fair trade; her breakfast for this moment.

How Krad carried himself told wonders about his personality. He didn't quite strut, but walked with a posture that spoke of cool collectedness. You'd think the added wings would offset him in some fashion, but it just _fit _him in such an unquestionable way. Miranda definitely liked. Now if only she could do something about those harsh mood swings of his.

Krad's gaze flicked to the blue Volvo as he walked, therefore she gazed at the car, too. See didn't see Mat in there moving around so came to the conclusion that Krad was just keeping a sharp eye on him. A little cardinal flew and skittered across the railing of her porch. It caught Krad's attention and he watched it until it flew off shortly thereafter. He then looked into the cottage living room as he passed a window. It was then that Miranda realized he was avoiding looking at her. Why? Soon he stood beside her, and only then did he look at her. His face was carefully blank. It severely frustrated her. He reached out, grabbed the motionless swing, then turned to sit on it. As soon as he had, she handed over his food.

"Here you go," she said. He accepted it, and she focused to her own food as the scent of it drove away the pesky butterflies of earlier. No way was anything going to get between her and her food. With that last thought, she tucked into her nice, toasted burger and it was heaven.

Krad blinked at her, then twisted his head to look at the Volvo again. Satoshi had wanted to take measures to prevent it from going far should Mat somehow find himself in a position to escape. However, neither of them knew much about cars, so all Krad was able to do was find the fuel tank and put a small hole into it. He found being sneakily destructive was kinda fun. Maybe he should do it more often. The plate began to feel heavy in his lap. Krad picked up a spoon and started on his grits. They were soft and not what he really wanted at the moment. Hmm...maybe the crunchy bacon? He tasted it. Yes, the bacon was a win.

To his right, Miranda chuckled. He eyed her, and licked his lips clean of bacon residue. What was her problem? She wasn't looking at him, but down at her plate. What had she been laughing at then? He ignored her, folding a piece of toast over a slice of tomato. He nibbled at it and he heard her chuckle again, harder this time. He cut his eyes at her while he chewed slowly. This time, he had caught her looking at him before she could look back down. He swallowed.

"What?" he asked, a little angered.

"It's nothing." She waved his question away. "You just eat so daintily. You also have manners, so it's a little hard to think that you're suppose to be a bad guy." She brought a spoonful of grits to her mouth.

"Well, believe it," he said grumpily. At this, she snorted and lost her grits.

"Now what?"

"Sorry, sorry! It's not you, I promise!"

"I did not think it was," he replied, returning to his toast with tomato.

Miranda tried extremely hard not to laugh anymore. Krad wouldn't tolerate another blurb. They continued to eat thereon in silence. Miranda had to bite her tongue more than half the time to do so. The angel just didn't eat like any guy she had ever seen, and why this was even funny she didn't know. But it was. She'd almost finished everything on her plate when Krad stopped eating. She glanced over at him and noticed with mild shock that he hadn't ate near the amount that she already had.

"Anything wrong?" she asked to his stony countenance.

"No," he answered, as he reached to the left to set the plate on the nearby porch railing.

"Certainly my cooking isn't that bad. I used to work as a cook at Waffle House. Would have stayed a waitress, but I slapped a few too many drunks for touching."

"It was good," he commented stoically. Miranda almost fainted at the unintentional compliment.

_I blame Satoshi for this. Our stomach is small thanks to his eating habits. _Krad leaned his head back and studied the blue Volvo. It was reflecting a lot of sunlight. He felt heavy, yet peaceful; warm, yet comfortable. A very rare combination for him. He jolted when Miranda moved the swing getting up.

"Sorry," she apologized, moving to gather his plate from off the railing. His expression changed to annoyance. Annoyance that centered around his jumpy self more than her, but she didn't know that.

"I said I was sorry," she huffed, and strode for the door. He merely settled back down to study the powder-blue Volvo again. Why did that color blue set so wrong with him?

**'It's because it's **_**that **_**color blue,' **Satoshi helped clarify. Like always, Krad remained clueless. He made a questioning hum low in the back of his throat to his Tamer.

**'Forget it.'**

Krad's set gaze wavered once before his eyes slipped closed. Miranda looked back at the white angel as she went through the door and stopped. She admitted then and there that she had a crush on the beautiful being. Shining, pure gold locks fluttered in the easy breezes, catching and just about sparking with bits of sunlight. Flawless skin and features were relaxed as long lashes fanned closely to his cheeks, and his wings... Oh, they were almost the best thing about him. Strong, yet nimble and light looking, they were starting to curl just the slightest bit as if to protect him in his sleeping state. Miranda sighed as all females do when faced with their impossible love interests. She stood in the doorway for a long time, utterly content with her current view. Then, something broke the moment; Dark suddenly yelled in a panic, startling her and making her drop her lovely dinnerware. Before she jerked her head to the living room, Krad half jumped, half fell out the swing with a thump.

"NOT AGAIN!" Dark raged, chasing the phoenix chick all over the place. It ran away as it wanted to keep whatever it had in its beak to itself.

"Dark?" Miranda questioned, already hurrying forward. Dark was doing poorly at keeping up with the chick. At this rate it would get far enough away to swallow whatever it had.

"IT FOUND ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE _SPECIAL _PILLS MAT BROUGHT!"

The chick spun in the opposite direction as Dark got too close to it. Dark spun with it, but his foot got caught by the corner of the green rug and he tripped. Still, as he fell, he tried to snatch for the bird. He just missed, gaining two tiny red-gold downy fluffs between two fingers. The chick yelped and the blue pill tumbled to the floor. Miranda seized the opportunity and darted for the thing. The chick turned back for its dropped treat.

"HUN-UH!" Miranda yelled sternly. The chick didn't even flinch. It just kept on for the pill. Miranda was too far to prevent it from picking it up, but she gave chase as the chick turned and ran for the hallway. At that time, Krad came through the front door. He glanced down to an ashen-faced Dark. The thief had belly-flopped in his fall, temporarily stunning himself.

"Krad, heads up!" Miranda yelled. The chick was now coming close in his direction. Krad widened his stance and flared his wings, scaring the chick back Miranda's way. She pounced...and missed as the bird zipped out the way, belly-flopping just as Dark had.

Having effectively dodged two pursuers, the little chick then dashed into the better guest room. Krad launched for the room, and made it just in time to witness the chick swallow the pill. Doing the smartest thing he could, Krad shut the guest room door. Dark made a whining noise at their defeat. Miranda lifted herself back up to help the black angel stand.

"It's all right, Dark. We'll throw something at it to make it flame this time," she consoled.

"But, if that thing manages to go after With now..." Dark trailed off.

"Oh, speaking of, how is he doing?" Miranda changed the subject as she led the kaito to the poofy chair. Dark sat down, his face twisting in a range of emotions.

"I don't want to say," he announced slowly.

"That bad?"

Dark nodded. After about five minutes, they heard what was an unmistakable whoosh of fire from within the guest room. Krad glared at the closed room door while Dark kind of cringed.

"The door will keep it in there," Miranda spoke positively. "But Mat is slier than a fox, why don't you go check on him?" she directed at Krad. He moved from beside the room door.

"I shouldn't have left him unguarded for this long," he realized, hurrying with long strides out the front door. He got to the edge of the porch and stopped, instantly going on the alert. The Volvo's door was wide open. Krad's first instinct was to warn his temporary allies. He backed up while drawing in a breath to shout out a warning. Something hit his neck. He didn't even have time to register a loss of balance before he dropped.

A dull thud made Dark and Miranda trade glances. With a spring he didn't think he had left in him, Dark stood up and Miranda rushed to the kitchen. For what, only she knew. The purple-haired kaito stepped cautiously beside the front door.

"Krad?" he called softly, but he already knew he wouldn't be answered. He risked a quick glimpse outside and sure enough, Krad was stomach-down, his wings semi-open in the typical unconscious pose. The door to the Volvo was all the way open. Dark pressed fast against the wall behind him, heedless of his protesting back, hoping that Krad wasn't downed by a serious injury. He'd seen no blood, so that was a good sign.

Mat obviously had struck from a distance, so he had to have a gun of sorts, and a silencer since they hadn't heard any gun fire. Not good. Not good at all. Dark wondered if he could maneuver fast enough to shut the front door, but the comrade part of him couldn't leave Krad out there unattended. There was no telling what Mat would do to him. Besides that, holding Krad hostage would probably make Miranda do just about anything the sinister guy demanded.

No, Dark had to stand his ground and defend Krad here. Thing is, Mat had a weapon. Fact is, he'd have to come to the front door and expose himself to shoot any of them inside, or to take Krad. Dark didn't have much of a choice beyond staying where he was, and if Mat did so too, then they had a stalemate. Maybe Mat would give up and go home? No, he was after them. He could have safely sped away in his car earlier. And he was going to make a move soon, he was just too impatient of a guy not to do so. So, all Dark had to do was wait until he heard Mat's footsteps on the wooden porch outside and strike when he got within range.

Downside is, Dark was likely to get shot, because Mat would be on the high alert. And another thing, Dark concluded worriedly, was that Krad was open game out there. Mat could still hold him hostage from wherever his position. The black angel rubbed his forehead. He was not good at dealing with these sort of things.

Okay, if Mat used Krad to threaten all of them into coming outside, then Dark had no choice but to abandon his opposite and try to keep Miranda safe. However, if Mat didn't realize he could use Krad and came storming in, then the favor played in his court. But, if Mat was thinking and using caution as well as what brain he did have, then he'd most certainly discern this.

"Miranda!" Mat shouted out with a creepy laugh. "I know that you have a thing for this _freak _out here. Come out and I won't shoot you."

Dark couldn't get a lock on where his voice was originating from. Miranda gasped as she ran from the kitchen with Mat's previous gun in her hands.

"Stop!" Dark whispered with urgency. "And hide that empty thing away. If he gets a hold of us, he'll take it, reload it, and use it."

Miranda's eyes went wider as she clutched the gun tighter. Her knuckles turned white and she trembled. Thought was not the easiest process for her right now and common sense was long gone.

"You can't go out there for anything," Dark hissed. "It's all a trap!" _And I bet that he won't stop until he rounds us all up. _

Tears filled Miranda's eyes. "Don't you care for your brother? He's out there, possibly hurt!"

"Quiet, Miranda!" Dark reprimanded harshly. She nearly jumped backward in shock. Maybe that had shoved some sense back into her. Dark needed to keep a sharp ear out for Mat's possible footsteps. Some board from the porch creaked. It sounded too close. Without further warning, Dark was face-to-face with Mat. He had just enough time to see Miranda fling herself like a wild cat onto Mat's back and hit him with the empty dart gun. The next second, the world was sucked away from him as something stung his chest and he fell backward into a never ending void.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N: I figure it's high time to give my thanks to some wonderful people. Reviews keep me going. They work better than a battery.**

**Dawns Eternal Twilight- Thank you for always reviewing and for caring enough to leave such wonderful feedback. You always make me feel appreciated for my work. It's everything I could ask for.**

**Dark Hearted Sninobi-**** Thank you for your constant kind words and enthusiasm. They mean so much!**

**Marium-**** Your reviews make my head spin with your energy. And that's a good thing! **

**Sno-Oki-**** I owe you a lot for pointing out some terrible errors. (Well, at least to me they were terrible.) Also, your reviews hold much humor. -High five-**

**The Lantern-**** Thank you for always giving a hoot. It's nice to hear from you.**

**Cherry Maiden-**** I loved how you just about guessed what was in the darts from the last chapter on your own. And your excitement made me hyper. **

**To all who have reviewed in past chapters, I still thank you for it. And to my readers of this chapter: I love hearing from you. Do give me some advice, or tips if you feel inclined. I want to better myself and I want all to enjoy thoroughly what I write. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: A bit of warning for this chapter. There is a mentioning of…the things that guys have! I'm embarrassed. But, as long as it makes you guys laugh. I admit that it _is_ funny. Still... o_0 **

**Should this be rated M? Surely I haven't went far beyond the norm... **

**-****)*(****-**

The first thing that registered were sounds alike to a badly tuned radio. In and out came loud whispers of unintelligible garble. Strange, he couldn't seem to latch onto any of the mixed mess. There was no sense of direction from where it came either, nor any determining of the emotions it held; it just flitted in one ear and clean out the other without drawing any comprehension whatsoever. Then an uncomfortable sort of exhaustion filled his muscles as his body slowly seeped back into the equation.

None of this added up. What had he, The Great Phantom Thief, done to end up like this? A touch of panic set in. Maybe he had finally gotten caught in one of Satoshi's traps? His quickening heart helped to push at the haze around him and awareness started coming quicker. Something hard, like a wall, kept him prompt into an almost sitting position. Something moderately heavy was also on top of him...and it was breathing. He could feel warm breath tickle across the surface of his bare chest. Circulating pain then leaped into focus from his hurt back. Little by little, he was fully awakening, and he wished he had the strength to buck the form on top of him off. What on Earth had happened? He couldn't remember clearly. His head felt like it was swimming.

"Hmn," the weight on top of him suddenly complained. It tussled, trying to move, but didn't succeed. This was scary. Who was on top of him and why?

Enough was enough.

Having to try a few times, Dark finally got his eyes to open part of the way, and nearly squawked at what he saw. The irritating, bruised surfer/model wannabe stood near the end of his bed holding something too small to make out. His bed? No, wait—this wasn't Daisuke's bed. But even more important than whose bed he was currently in was Mat AND _whoever_ lay on top of him. His mouth dropped open at the feathery, rumpled and _partially_ clothed hunter draped over him.

_What the bloody hell? _Dark's now large eyes peered shakily at the messy spikes of his other self and he prayed. He prayed that what looked like had happened, hadn't. He also prayed that pain in a certain area wouldn't suddenly turn on and signify proof of any kind. Not that he would ever be bottom on any day, no matter his position right now. This was horrid! He felt very sick.

"Did you have a good time?" Mat asked happily from beyond the bed, hinting at the impossible. He, at least, was still fully clothed. The bruised, evil man grinned like the Cheshire Cat as Dark's expression grew ever more into horror. Mat then pocketed whatever he held in his hand and strolled out the room. _This is the better guest room of Miranda's_, Dark noted faintly somewhere in his shell-shocked mind. He and Krad couldn't have...'gone at it... right? That's when it all came back to him. He'd beat Mat up for firing one of those 'love' darts into his familiar, then they'd had breakfast. What had happened next? Oh yeah, Krad had gotten knocked out, then he had. Wait...he was forgetting something important. Was it Miranda? Where was Miranda, anyway? Was she hurt?

Dark tried to move his hands and found that they were tied behind him. Poorly so too; his circulation was being cut off. He tried wiggling his uncooperative, heavy form to move up to a better angle. His sore back unstuck from the bed's headboard with a sound similar to that of a suction cup, and he hissed. Oh, how it stung and burned and just seriously _hurt_!

"Stop..." Krad spoke thickly against his jerky movements. Dark suppressed a revolted shudder. Krad was pressed into him way too intimately; from the psycho hunter's head laying over his heart, to the pale arm bent and draped across his lower ribs, to lastly, the other's slim hips partially over his left leg.

"Get off of me!" Purple hair tossed from the force of his command. He hissed again immediately after, and didn't dare move anymore for his hurting back. Krad drew in a deep breath and groaned. It only made the kaito have to repress another shudder. Krad's brows furrowed as his hearing caught on to that of a thundering heart beating directly underneath his right ear.

_What?_

Dazed, golden orbs fluttered open to stare at the tanned skin beneath him. Slowly, the dazed look was replaced by intense confusion. This look was then replaced by utter disbelief as Krad woke fully and raised his head to stare the short distance up at his opposite, whose deep purple eyes were shimmering in anger.

"Get—Off—Me!" Dark repeated slowly, lips thin in anger. Krad's eyes widened as he immediately tried lifting away. Something kept him from doing so, and he flopped back down. Large white feathers moved, and that's when Dark noticed Krad's hands tied by ropes just like his. And it wasn't just the crazed hunter's hands that were tied, but his large wings, too. They were locked in their folded position and unable to open. Which meant Krad's movements and balance were sorely hampered. He'd have to roll to the floor to get off since they were already so near the edge of the mattress. And judging by the disgusted look on the white angel's face, he'd do it, even if it meant possibly harming his tied wrists and/or wings.

"What are you doing underneath me?" Krad questioned, with barely controlled rage. He tried to move again, but couldn't do much more than squirm. And that didn't feel right...to either of them. Dark bet the only reason he wasn't dead right now was thanks to the earlier tranquillizer's disorientating effects. If Krad was feeling what he was feeling, which he had to be because they were practically the same physically, then the closest thing to compare him to would be a useless chunk of lead.

"What are you doing on top of me?" Dark countered with his own question and attitude since he didn't have an answer. As soon as the words left his mouth, however, he wished he could call them back. They had sounded so wrong!

Krad let the idiotic reversion of his own question go. Instead, he tried patience. He closed his eyes and began collecting his muddled thoughts. The vague memories would come back to him if he remained calm.

"Krad," said Dark, as he blew out a frustrated breath. "The last thing I remember was you knocked out on the porch and then Mat surprising me by the front door. Obviously, whatever he did to you he did to me." The kaito's voice held a small note of fear. Krad wondered about that as his memories finally came back. Wasn't much to remember really.

"I made it to the front of the porch before realizing the car's door was open. I backed away to keep my guard up and was just about to call out a warning when..." Krad trailed off in confusion, then opened his eyes again, glaring coldly up at the thief. "I blank from there until now," he stated accusingly, as if this was somehow all Dark's fault. Or maybe he was just blaming the purple-haired kaito for being underneath him.

"Well, I think you should know something." Dark's lip twitched as he spoke and stared at Krad. Whatever information he was about to divulge, it was clear he'd rather eat snails than say it. Although, there was a tiny spark of mirthless humor present in his eyes. Krad steeled himself, knowing that this was probably barbed worse against him if the kaito was willing to tell.

"From what Mat hinted at when I first woke up and from our state and positions, I'd say...we..." the kaito trailed off and scrunched his eyes closed and shook his head. Only stopping the rough movement when his back threatened to rub across the headboard again. Suddenly, Dark burned with anger and shouted, "PUT THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER YOURSELF FOR ONCE!" After the outburst Dark appeared sick as he frowned and quickly looked the other way.

For once his other self got the meaning right off the bat. A faraway look plastered on Krad's face, also appearing stricken with humiliation, which of course, quickly turned to outrage. With force that plowed into his kidney and jerked him to his left side and off his back, Krad sprung off Dark like a weird fish and half rolled, dropping like a stone to the hardwood floor below. Dark's tearing vision could just make out the tips of gold-blond spikes from over the side of the mattress.

"NO!" Krad raged in denial. "IMPOSSIBLE! BY ANY MEANS, THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Then check to make sure your pants are still on right," Dark grimaced the words out. It felt like his back was weeping again. He focused on it instead of the concerning present situation. Maybe the damp, exposed layers of skin had ripped and now it was bleeding? It would be so nice to have it bandaged. Even the gentle air hurt against it.

"Why not check yours and save me the trouble?" Krad asked sarcastically.

"I'm too scared to," Dark admitted lowly to himself. "What, did you land wrong?" he said louder, forcing a small laugh. Krad growled long and deep. Yep, he had landed wrong. But in refute to any minor self-imposed injury, the hunter twisted and jerked until he stood propped on his knees beside the bed. With a severe blush he looked down at himself. Aside from a few wrinkles in his pants and being topless, everything was still on properly. It felt as if an anvil had slid off his chest. He _knew _he couldn't have done anything, especially to Dark. Only humans shared themselves in that way—never mind if he hadn't had any control over it or been in his right state of mind at the time—he just couldn't _ever_ do _that_.

The relief in Krad's expression reached across to Dark. He couldn't help feeling even weaker with gratitude. They'd been spared, thank the heavens. Though the light and happy feeling didn't last long as Dark comprehended Mat had purposely made fools of them. He'd set them up, and they had fallen for the obvious when they shouldn't have. Damn drugs and the lack of coherency they caused!

"MAT! YOU REALIZE YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, RIGHT?" The words rang with malice throughout the deceivingly peaceful, quiet cottage. Krad looked at Dark with the first approving smile he could recall seeing from the hunter. Giggling laughter poured into the room as Mat returned. Judging by the lack of footsteps, he'd been close the entire time.

"I couldn't resist," he chuckled, hunching over some. The twin murderous glares aimed at him did nothing except make him slap a hand to his knee and chuckle that much harder. Finally straightening, he swiped at his swollen nose. "Ah, that was priceless," he commented to the fuming angels. "There's no need to think I'm such a bad guy," he said, "I'd make sure not to put in drugs that would make you forget the best times to be had. I don't rape, I just induce pleasure."

A purple head tilted his way with a single eyebrow disappearing high into the hairline. "What kind of messed up are you?" Dark asked incredulously. How could Mat think like that about what he did? Dark wanted to add to the various arrangements of blacks, blues and purples that already littered the man's face and undoubtedly most of his body. The black angel _had_ punched every place he could reach. He wished he had continued until he'd beat the living pulp out of him. He probably would have if not for his injuries and With distracting him.

"You two have no right to call me messed up. Not when it's you guys that are both messed up. You guys have _wings_!" Mat flapped his hands up and down in a poor imitation of the feathery limbs.

"Don't even go there," Dark snapped.

Mat snickered, "Sorry, I guess nubs don't qualify. You're still abnormal." The taunt did its trick as Dark hoisted himself to his knees on the bed. Krad remained aloof.

"Not another inch," Mat threatened, drawing a gun out from one of his back pockets. Both angels' gasped in fear as the afternoon sunlight gleamed off the bright silver. The red heart etched onto it shined menacingly along the tip of the barrel. Dark cursed Miranda for bringing it out of hiding. Hadn't she had any other object she could have used to hit him with? Speaking of...

"What have you done with Miranda?" Dark asked, with heat in his voice.

"Oh, she's in the back of my Volvo, ready to head back to my place." Mat shrugged his shoulders, lowering the gun just a tad.

"Did you hurt her?" Purple eyes flashed. Brown ones blinked in mild confusion.

"No. She got hit with a regular tranq, just like you guys did. I wouldn't—"

Within a second, the advantage of an unguarded moment was taken. Krad leaped to his feet, eyes blazing, giving everything he had in barreling into Mat. The charge worked. Mat crashed to the floor and the gun slid out of his immediate grasp.

Two previously blackened eyes glanced up at the incredible white angel standing above him. Mat backpedaled across the floor fast. Krad awkwardly stomped after him. He didn't care if he couldn't use his hands or wings, he was far past the point of weighing obstacles. All that mattered was destroying Mat now, and he still had use of his feet, so yeah. Meanwhile, Dark worked his way off the bed. He wanted to secure that gun away from Mat's dirty, evil hands.

The black angel just about made it to the entry of the living room before a kick and Mat's yelp rent the air. Another blow sounded, along with a grunt. This time it had come from Krad. A rather harsh thud proceeded right after. Dark hurried and witnessed Krad and Mat flat on their butts, having some sort of fast-paced kicking match; they were trying to land as many blows as quickly as possible, without letting the other get any closer. Dark had to grit his teeth to keep from laughing. It just looked so silly, like some kids roughhousing in some stupid contest. He reeled back to the matter at hand. He needed to get that gun and somehow keep it away from Mat. He spotted the gun close to the kitchen, not but a few feet away from the battling two, and scrambled after it.

Mat saw him coming. With a last powerful kick to hold Krad off, Mat threw himself backward and toward the gun. His first three fingers brushed the weapon. At the same time, Krad stretched and landed a direct kick to his shins, causing Mat to jerk his hand back.

The gun twirled on the hardwood floor, still up for grabs.

Dark gathered himself and jumped the last bit of distance to it. Desperate, Mat reached for Dark's ankle and with a grunt, pulled, while giving another quick series of kicks to fend off Krad. The white angel held his ground, but he was starting to go on the defensive. His abilities weren't the highest in the physical department. Dark gave a short, surprised gasp and fell to his rump. Tears stung two purple eyes. That had actually hurt quite a lot. It was a lot funnier when it happened on TV.

Staying on task with a quick jerk, Dark kicked out and the gun slung off like a dangerous hockey puck. Mat was not going to get it, no matter what. Unfortunately, it hit the wall and started spinning back toward them.

"Shoot!" Dark complained, lining up and getting ready to kick it again. Mat, seeing his chance, scrambled away from Krad in a fast crab walk to intercept the gun.

"Mousy!" Krad hollered, as he tried to scoot after Mat. He wasn't very successful. Having your hands tied can make everything harder to do.

"Krad! Keep him from it!" Dark yelled, as he kicked for the speeding gun. The freakin' thing was just a few inches too far for him to hit, even with the toes of his boots pointed.

"Ah-ha!" Mat laughed in victory, pouncing on the gun. Dark flopped to his side, switching to kick at Mat instead, catching him between the shoulder and chest.

"Ouch!" Mat flinched, but he didn't drop the gun. Krad rose to his feet and ran for him, but Mat swept out a foot and put the white angel right back on the floor, who gave a quick bark of surprise. Dark rolled to get to his feet. The silver gun aimed at him as he stood. Dark's eyes widened and he gritted his teeth, ducking fast. With a blast, the dart sailed right over his head.

"Shit!" Mat cursed.

"And with that mistake, it is over." Krad stood again, daring Mat to knock him down once more. "Your weapon is now empty and you will not have the chance to reload it." Flashing golden eyes narrowed. It was a promise.

Dark sighed to himself. His bones felt like Jello; happy, relieved Jello.

Unbelievably, Mat smirked up at the two. "Why are you guys so confident? You're both still tied up." The statement made Dark laugh. Amazingly, Krad looked over at Dark a bit proudly. Dark grinned evilly down at Mat, then worked his arms a bit. A tiny purple light flashed and then his hands came around to the front of him, the thin rope falling limply from a wrist.

Mat gawked in fear. How had he gotten loose like that?

"You forget who I am, Mat," the kaito rightfully bragged. He stepped over to Krad, being sure to keep Mat in his peripheral vision, and carefully moved long gold hair and white feathers out the way from the other's back, revealing swelling, reddening wrists. Ouch. He had landed wrong off the bed. With the barest of touches, Krad's hands were freed. Mat leaned forward from where he sat on the floor, better watching the kaito. How did the thief do that?

_Doesn't matter, because I win anyway,_ he thought with satisfaction.

Krad rubbed at his sore wrists in turns, then stopped Dark as he reached to free his right wing.

"I can handle the rest."

Mat suddenly moved, swinging the empty gun back up. Both angels prepared themselves, but what harm could an empty gun do? Thinking it was just a bluff, Dark stopped himself from dodging. Seeming a second behind his thoughts, Krad did, too.

"You won't get me with that trick again," Dark declared. Mat smirked.

"I'm not trying to trick you." Mat pulled the trigger and the gun went off.

Dark froze. _But the thing was empty! It only carries one shot at a time!_ The dart slammed into his shoulder and it felt as if it had sliced straight through. Dark yelled. Too much pressure released under his skin. Surely the joint was going to explode?

"DAMN! THAT HURTS!" Dark stomped in a half circle, arm poised over but not quite touching the painful dart sticking out from his shoulder. He quickly retreated from the room. Krad watched his other half, seemingly dazed. This was a scary movie he just couldn't escape from, wasn't it? That had to be it. That was why all this stuff kept happening to them; they were just caught up in some weird twilight zone.

Krad jerked back to face Mat. The gun was already pointing at him. _No! ... No! No! No!_

Pure terror.

He couldn't get hit with that thing. Dark was already doomed to its effects. He couldn't allow himself to fall to them, too. The room was spinning and sweat tickled his skin. Krad backed up a step. Mat fired. The thing really did carry more than one dart. What the hell? Had Mat purposely led them to believe that it didn't? The conniving bastard didn't do anything by halves.

By some miracle, Krad turned sideways just in time and the dart bypassed his lower chest. He was going to hyperventilate if he didn't get out of the place right this second, but Mat was blocking the front door.

_ Hide! _His mind screamed at him. _Get something between you two! _It was only the second time he could ever remember fearing a human.

He picked up his heels and ran for the open guest room. Mat took aim. There was no chance of making it behind that door. The report blared and the next instant, Krad was on the floor grabbing his leg.

"Ha! Got the both of you!" Mat winked. "And now, I must leave." He stood, gave a weird salute, then was out the front door.

Krad grimaced and gave an inner scream. Not only did the dart feel like it had ripped where it had struck his inner thigh, but the muscle it had punctured balled into the worse charley horse of all time. He yanked the syringe out, regardless, wanting to be rid of the vile thing and threw it. It scraped across the hardwood floor with an empty clanking. He willed his leg to relax, but really didn't have the patience to deal with it.

This was an all time low. He laid on his back, neither caring about his oddly pressed wings, or his cramping leg anymore. What was going to happen now? He was...infected, dirty. Could he fight against such a thing?

Mat's Volvo cranked and pulled off into gear. Krad listened to the motor as it quickly reduced to a distant dull roar, then everything went super quiet. Worried golden eyes stared flatly at the cottage ceiling.

_Why has Dark not made a sound? _Krad wondered. At that instant, Dark's face appeared upside-down in the top part of his vision. A lightning bolt seemed to run through his body at the abrupt appearance.

"Hey, are you feeling anything yet?" Dark asked lightly, as he stood above the frightened hunter. Krad realized he didn't want the thief hovering over him like that. He sat up, noticing a very sore inner thigh.

"N-no!" he stammered, blushing. He refused to fully believe that he even would.

"Good, because I'm not either." Dark sighed in relief. "Maybe these things can't effect us?"

**'Or maybe they just take a little while to work.'** The calculative voice sounded a bit weak.

'Satoshi, how long have you been awake?'

**'Long enough to know what has happened,'** Satoshi replied, sounding only a little flustered by the predicament. A sudden external touch on his wing had Krad jumping and his golden spikes standing on end. It was almost as if he had been electrocuted.

"Calm down. Jeez," Dark said from behind him. "I'm just releasing your wings. Can you help me rescue Miranda?" he added hopefully. A thin rope fell from his right, and Krad let the limb hang semi-open.

Dark moved to the left wing and unbound that one. Krad remained silent.

"We have nothing to fear now. We can take Mat out no problem," the kaito pressed. Krad just sat numbly. After a few seconds of this, Dark was forced to consider his options of going it alone. He honestly didn't think he could do it on his own, even if he could rid himself of his useless nubs and have With fly him high for a distant view too see where—wait, With! The phoenix! How could he have forgotten! The phoenix had been in the guest room before they had gotten knocked out. Where was she now? Was With still where he left him? Dark galloped to the bathroom to check. He slung the door open and out gushed clouds of nearly opaque steam. Dark blinked, trying to see passed it, then...slammed the door closed and slid to the floor in misery.

His With...his cute little familiar was... At least he was in his natural black bird form. Maybe Krad would like a familiar of his own? No way was he going to be stuck by himself raising a clutch of Withs. Just the thought was scary. If those chicks got mad they'd start spitting fire...more than likely with his luck, anyway. Dark sighed dejectedly and held a hand over his eyes. He had a killer of a headache building.

Krad looked up as the escaped steam dispersed throughout the living room. He then stood and walked to the front door. He'd had enough; he wanted to leave. And he was very angry.

"So that's it? You're not going to help at all?" Dark asked in a resigned voice. He'd expected as much from his other half. It would have been nice, though, to have help.

Krad stopped in the open doorway. Gold locks moved as he tilted his head to the side, eying Dark seriously. "Mat's hours are numbered, if that is what you mean by 'help'."

Dark gathered his feet under him and stood, smiling at the hunter.

"All right!" he said excitedly, and practically skipped up beside Krad. Dark never expected them to work on the same side together, especially right when he needed it. The white angel could just leave and find Mat on his own for revenge later, leaving Dark behind to fail miserably now. Wouldn't that be something his counterpart would love? Course, Krad might just not want to tackle Mat on his own.

A sudden, furious blush illuminated across Krad's cheeks. He looked mortified, and quickly stopped Dark from coming any closer.

"Wait!" he shouted, holding up a slim, pale hand. Taken aback, the kaito stopped with a tilt of his head and a slight pout of lips. Krad just scrunched his eyes shut. _What is this? _Thought the white angel desperately.

**'This is human anatomy. I wish you would control it. This is **_**my **_**body and I'm not gay for Dark. It's downright disturbing.' **Satoshi's flat-toned chide was accompanied by an inner shake of disgust.

Krad's eyes sprung open, making Dark very curious as to what was going on.

'I am _not _GAY!'

**'Yeah? How do you know? You don't even flirt. You have smooth-talked a few female assistants before, but never flirted with them.' **_**Thank goodness**_, Satoshi added quietly to himself.

'I am not interested in that sort of thing!' Krad's heart pounded.

** 'But you are highly interested in Dark and have been for many years. Face it, Krad, you have had a crush on him for a while. Just how long is beyond me, probably even beyond you since you still refuse to see it.' **

_Not fair! _Krad wanted to shout, but that would only belittle himself like a petulant child. Anger boiled. He did not have a crush on his aggravating other half! Most times he wanted to kill him! And yet, he somehow felt backed into a corner.

Secretly, Satoshi was laughing. He knew the dart was to blame for the..._inconvenience _they had going on, but Krad wasn't thinking to defend with that fact. Suddenly, Satoshi quit laughing. If Krad wasn't defending with the obvious cause, could it be that he was mixed up in possible thoughts of liking his other self?

What had he done? This was not a good time to realize one's feelings. Who knew how crazy Krad could get while under such influence if the angel let anything go.

**'Krad, don't take it so seriously. It's only that dart's fault this is happening.' **Which was true, but it was probably only a catalyst if Krad was doubting himself this much. Anyway, hopefully this would fix his mistake. To say he didn't want to be caught _in-between _something, was putting it mildly.

Krad jerked at the mentioning of the dart, but otherwise stayed still and quiet. Oh gosh, that was not a good sign.

"Um...Krad?" Golden eyes jumped to annoyed purple. "Are you and Satoshi finished jabbering? We need to get a move on," Dark complained, crossing his arms and staring crossly. He was curious and peeved. He wanted to know what had put that weird expression on the blond's face. Krad lowered his head to the floor, then suddenly raised up and fixed his piercing gaze back on Dark.

"Are you feeling any symptoms from the dart?" Krad asked, while keeping his voice steady. He didn't want to hint at something being wrong. Dark raised an eyebrow in question anyway.

"No," he answered. "Why?" There was an unusual no nonsense tone from Dark.

Krad stared out the door and up at the light blue sky. "Just being cautious," he stated casually. "I am not ready to leave just yet," he also remarked.

"Okay, something is jiving here. What's up?"

**'Wrong question to ask, Dark,' **Satoshi mentally commented.

Krad had never had such a difficult time at keeping his posture relaxed as in that moment. He was fiercely glad his face was turned away and his back was facing Dark, or else he might have given himself away.

"I want to make sure those darts will not have an ill effect before we go storming off. Do you understand, or is that too much for you comprehend, my impatient image?" White feathers bristled.

"Hmm?" Dark hummed, even more curious now. Krad was most definitely hiding something.

Krad focused on the outside, unknowing that an evil grin was appearing over his shoulder.

"So," Dark spoke so close to Krad's ear that he jumped a mile. The kaito laughed and Krad wanted to smash him to bits. "You're embarrassed?"

"What do I have to be embarrassed about?" Krad all but shouted, but he didn't turn around to face Dark. No, he couldn't do that, then the horrible kaito would know and that would just be the end of him.

"Look, if the dart is effecting you, I should know about it. I got hit, too," he said, somewhat grumpily.

"You got hit first, so why is it you are not feeling anything?" Krad asked confusedly.

"So you are feeling it, then?" Dark asked, worried for the both of them as he reached the few inches to Krad's bare shoulder. He had a split second of contact with overheated skin before Krad hissed and spat like a cat, knocking his hand off.

"Do not touch me!" Fury swirled the air. Krad, however, did not attack further than that.

A unexpected yank had the white angel falling backwards. Twisting around, he straightened himself before he could fall.

"So that's what you were so embarrassed about?" Dark questioned with a hand under his chin. His eyes took in the slight bulge in the other's white pants. Krad covered himself with a wing. He felt like going off to die somewhere, anywhere, far, far away. Instead, he just swallowed heavily and shut his eyes in defeat.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. And I guess you're feeling the effects before me because of where you were shot at. But," said the kaito with a hint of playful tones. Krad looked at him with a searing glare. "Mine is bigger." Dark smiled proudly.

For a minute, Satoshi and Krad both just stood in awkward silence. Then Krad's gaze seemed to flatten.

_You will feel what I am feeling. No more jokes._

Krad stepped close to Dark and moved his wing from in front of him. Somehow, even though the two were of equal height, Krad stared down at the purple-haired kaito. The sudden close proximity startled Dark. The cold orbs fixated on him were nothing but a predator's.

"Prove it," the white angel challenged. Dark jolted.

"Huh?" He'd forgotten what they'd been talking about.

"Prove it," Krad repeated again, and touched his cheek with a warm, soft thumb. Dark could have sworn in that instant that the background changed to surround them in sparkling pink bubbles.

"Oh...my God," the black angel breathed. This _could not _be happening! He'd been overwhelmed frequently in the beginnings of his first few centuries of life, but since then, Dark hadn't let much get to him. Until now. His grip with reality spun severely and that made him very angry. Krad was a constant; Krad did not change.

"What the hell, Krad? It was just a joke!" He backpedaled away fast.

"Oh, so you were lying?" Krad grinned, enjoying the situation now. Inside, Satoshi was forced all the way back in their shared consciousness. He'd attempted to stop the previous stunt. That boy had a sharp tongue for one who didn't speak much beyond what he had to.

"You just stay the hell away from me." Purple eyes lit bright and magic burned. Krad's stomach clenched in anticipation. Nothing was sweeter than when he and Dark faced off. Maybe he did really hold something more than he thought for his other half.

Pushing that thought aside, Krad closed the distance between them again. Dark growled, the feathers on his nubs standing on end. He wanted to attack, but he would surely lose in his current condition if he did. What was he to do? What was he suppose to do?

"Dark," Krad called silkily, his lips tilting upwards by the barest of fractions. Dark flinched.

"Do that again and I swear I'll—" Dark was cut off as he screeched. Krad had used both of his hands to grab Dark's face and pull him closer. Dark grabbed for the hunter's wrists, but white wings knocked his every attempt astray. Dark cursed a string of colorful words.

"Enough," Krad commanded.

"Enough my foot, you're not getting me!"

Krad leaned in, making Dark yelp like a struck beast.

"What ever is the matter?" Krad cooed in Dark's ear. "I thought you were better than this, yet here you are acting so scared. It is highly unfitting of you." Dark blushed deep red.

"Shut it you damned—" Dark's eyes suddenly unfocused. "Shit..." He appeared horror struck...well, more so. Purple magic outlined him, causing Krad's hands to blister. Krad was forced to let go while Dark jumped back to a safer distance. The white angel glanced downward and chuckled.

"Shut up! It's just the damn dart finally kicking in," the kaito huffed. He tried not to let his discomfort show. Damn, what a time for formfitting pants.

"Well, you proved it," Krad said, sounding back to his normal self.

"Huh?" Dark wasn't confused by what Krad was talking about this time, but rather the complete attitude change. It's like nothing of the last minute had ever happened. "Unfortunately for you, this is where I draw the line." Krad turned to walk toward the broken stairs. Dark's purple hair stood on end.

"You mean, you weren't serious? You bleeping scared me!"

White wings extended and Krad jumped with a heavy flap to the top edge of the second floor.

"Where are you going?" Dark asked, anger still lining his voice. "And what made you want to play a prank on me?" Krad looked over at him and the kaito continued, "You've only ever played a few pranks on me, and that was toward the early years."

"Correction: this was the first prank I have ever played. Those first years were merely tricks."

"Same thing!" A shakiness laced this shout. Dark cleared his throat.

"That act really scared you," Krad observed out loud, looking down at the kaito.

"Shut it!" Dark glanced away, then brushed invisible dust off his pants. _I thought my world was messing up, of course I freaked! Now I'm settling back down, but puzzles, once thrown and pieces part, take a bit to get placed back together. Jeez._

Krad moved, intent on finding the second bathroom. He'd probably find it once he located the master bedroom. He felt dirty and wanted to get clean again, especially after that prank. And the test/prank had earned him mixed results, but he'd worry about that later. Right now, all that mattered was eliminating Mat...once certain effects stopped bothering him.

Dark watched Krad disappear around the corner with a hateful expression. What had made him snap and decide to do something so messed up as flirt? With his other self, no less! That narcissist! Now that Dark thought about it, it really did seem stupid that he had taken Krad so seriously. But it had been so...so... It had just caught him off guard. Restful, restorative sleep was needed, and his back needed to be properly cared for.

He was a mess of hot, cranky, but relieved nerves. He blamed the powerful relief as to why he was so suddenly dizzy. Man, he really had gotten a shock from Krad. Damn guy was going to pay for that, too. He headed unsteadily for the kitchen after some water. Thirst was starting to hurt his throat. He quickly found a glass and filled it with tap water. Drinking the semi-cool liquid in one long chug, he placed the empty glass on the counter with a clink. Nausea had him doubling over as it pulled the water and breakfast from his stomach. He heaved and gagged until the last of the contents came up in a rush.

_ Ugh...too much stress for one day..._

Dark shakily took to cleaning the mess he'd made. This was just terrible! Why did he all of a sudden feel so sick? Was the cause really stress, or was it something else? Maybe a reaction to something? But Krad had dealt with all the drugs he'd unwilling gotten and then some.

He wobbled back to the living room. This was not cool and not fair. His energy levels were sinking as he just stood there, staring at the open front door. Miranda needed saving ASAP, he didn't have time to sleep this off. Who knew how long they had before Mat laid his hands on her? But, it wasn't going to be denied, whatever this was that suddenly had him. Dark hiccuped before slipping to the floor. He was burning up. Steam had to be coming out of his mouth. This sucked. With fright he noticed his senses were quickly dulling.

He jumped when the outside sunlight was blocked and the thud of a landing form vibrated through his body. Demanding hands shook at his shoulders. He blinked, his gaze cloudy and looked up, way up until his saw lots of blurred white and gold running into each other.

"Mousy?"

Dark screwed up his face and complained, "No, Krad, just go away."

"You let infection get you." Krad looked at the red of Dark's back, seeing the hints and telltale signs of infection. Normally, infection didn't literally floor you like this, but normally, you didn't use magic when you had it, either. Some forms of magic could accelerate the spreading of bacteria, others simply delayed healing, while a few focused ones could heal. Over all, it was just best not to use magical energy when infections were involved. Especially when dealing with it around the wings—it is the easiest place for them to take hold.

"Yeah, well, I didn't have a mirror on hand to see back there."

"That does not matter. You should have felt it."

Dark grumbled. He grumbled worse as hands and arms lifted him.

"Quiet down. I can have you recovering quickly." Krad carried him to the guest room.

"No... Leave me alone... You— ...I don't—stop..." Dark's mumbling began making no sense. Krad eased him face-down on the bed.

"Hush!" he commanded sharply. "You are getting worse. I want you at your best so we can avoid those blasted darts this time. As sad as it is, I may need your help." Wadded covers blocked whatever the thief retorted with.

Krad laid his hands on Dark's red back. You could barely tell it had been burnt earlier, such was how fast the two angels healed, but in that, too, laid a possible—if rare—problem. Since their bodies healed so fast, so sometimes could strong bacteria fester and progress unless it was first treated. Still, this hit Dark awfully quickly, and without any previous forewarning.

Krad pressed a white feather between reddened shoulder blades, pulsing energy through his medium. He knew he could heal, albeit it wasn't his field of expertise.

Dark let the searching, roaming threads of magic weave under his skin. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling, but it was somehow comforting.

Krad frowned as he found three small areas of mild infection. Two of which were nothing serious, but the positioning of the third made all the difference. It was right by a major vessel. This would have been nothing had something not disrupted it and caused it to slowly trickle into the nearby network of blood. Dark's immune system would have clearly beat it, should have in fact, if not for an earlier use of magic.

Dark sneezed, making Krad jump. There went his concentration.

"Wat ss goin' on? Mah head ss sstarin' ta pound..." Dark slurred.

"Hold still. This may hurt some," Krad warned. Dark grunted to show that he understood.

Krad lifted his hands, focusing his magic to them. They glowed brilliantly, then he rubbed, smoothly across Dark's back until the skin there glowed almost as bright. He then touched the points of infections, saving the worst for last. Light flooded, cleansing everything it moved through. The infections shrank, and within a few minutes they were completely gone. Krad stopped channeling, having finished. He breathed deeply, wiping a bit of gathered sweat from his brow. Out of all his magics, it were healing ones that always took the most energy. He glanced down at Dark and wondered why the kaito hadn't complained at all. His form of healing wasn't exactly painless. A soft snore lifted from the thief. Lucky him had passed out first. That explained it.

"Well, now." Krad stretched and moved off the bed. "I think it is time I got back upstairs." And with that, he was gone.

A few miles away Mat cursed. His vehicle had run out of fuel. The thing had been half-full, so this shouldn't have happened. Mat turned to look at the still-out-of-it Miranda. He'd have to wait until she woke up before he could force her to walk to his place. Maybe he should just leave her and walk to the nearest gas station? But if she woke up...

He could tie her better, where she couldn't move at all. But he should move the Volvo off the road so any passing troopers couldn't find her. Mat tapped on the steering wheel as he came to a conclusion.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N: Thank you Dawns Eternal Twilight, Cherry Maiden, Sapphiet, Dark Hearted Shinobi, TeamSatisfactionFangirl, and finally (my newest reviewer), LioletteOfTheVoid, for all of your reviews last chapter! I'd love more! (I'm so insatiable.)**

**Sorry about the wait for this chapter. **

**Oh, and I wanted to say the infection Dark had a friend of mine had, except his was much worse. Very bad stuff that is; don't mess around with infections. Once it gets in the blood stream...oof. It can play havoc and kill you so quick. Luckily, said friend is all better now. -Cheers!- **


	15. Chapter 15

**-****)*(****-**

His skin felt cool, but the soft covers under him held enough warmth. Dark nestled his face into the fabric more, not wanting to wake up yet. He still felt way too tired and his head still hurt a little too much to want to move.

"Dark-san! Dark-san!" Risa ran through the crowded amusement park, exuberantly waving to the phantom thief. Dark looked at her curiously. Hadn't he already told her that he couldn't see her anymore? Why was she so excited about him, then?

"Dark-san!" Risa stopped in front of him, panting slightly from her running. She looked pleasantly shocked and happy in her pink summer dress. "Those stripes really do look good on you," she commented on his usual 'casual' attire.

Dark tilted the flat cap better over his purple hair and smiled. "Did you put such a cute dress on for me?" he asked, a twinkle in his eyes. Risa blushed and quickly glanced down at the pavement.

"Since we're here together can we go on a ride?" she asked shyly, as her eyes darted back up to his. Dark pretended to think about it. "It'll just be a friendly ride." She clasped both hands in front of her, and her deep brown eyes shined brightly, pleadingly—causing Dark to chuckle lightly.

"Whatever the pretty lady wants," he easily relented with a grin.

"How come you like ferris wheels so much?" Dark asked, after they boarded a giant one. The ride was slowly moving up and as the lights from below twinkled. As they left the ground, he thought he knew what her answer would be. Who could not like the feeling of daring and freedom that came with being high up? However, her answer was different than what he was expecting.

"I like them because they take me closer to the sky; to where you are. I feel closest to you when I'm here." Risa's expression was one of open honesty, then she realized just what she had said and blushed furiously.

"Risa..." Dark was left speechless. Inside his heart twisted. What he wouldn't give to simply kiss both their pains away. But he couldn't do that, well, shouldn't do that.

It was so very tempting, though.

"Never mind me," she said with a false cheeriness. "Oh, look! A shooting star!" she gasped, pointing out the compartment's window. Dark turned in his seat and caught the barest glimpse of a small streak before it disappeared. "I'm going to make a wish for us to be happy, Dark," she said, then closed her eyes.

"You're suppose to do that before they disappear," Dark stated with an amused tilt of his lips as he glanced back to her. His amusement fled, however, when Risa opened her eyes again and stared at him with a decidedly sexy look that went far beyond her young years.

_Wow! _Dark thought, even as warning bells rang off inside his head.

"Dark-san," Risa voiced low with passion. She stood from her seat opposite and advanced toward the kaito. Dark gulped. He had to stop this before it could spin out of hand. But, dang, would one _good _kiss really hurt?

"Risa, this is just a friendly ride." Dark straightened in his seat. He dared not seem nervous by this sudden change. Females could sense a male's hesitance, and when they did they always pounced.

"The star told me of your wish, Dark-san. You want me to kiss you." She stepped close without even a hint of girlish innocence. It was a tad disorienting.

"Risa, you remember what I told you last time, don't you?" Dark chastised. Risa ignored his tone and bent closer to him, their lips very close to touching. Purple eyes widened.

"This is what you want. How can you deny what you want so badly?" Her sweet breath fanned over him, making his pulse leap into overdrive. He jerked his head to the side.

"Because it would be a mistake to get involved with you. We'd both only be hurting ourselves." Dark's eyes glittered brilliantly in the semi-darkness. The ferris wheel had just reached its maximum height in the sky.

"Right now it's not a mistake," she said, almost desperately.

"I can't be with you! It's impossible! And you'd see that as time went on!" he punctuated fiercely, trying to drill it into himself as much as her. _Even if I could be freed from the line of the Niwas, I'd still be a monster compared to you!_

"Dark!" Risa shouted sternly, then reached and hugged him, laying her head on his left shoulder. "It's okay. I understand, but," she paused and something didn't feel right. The compartment they were in suddenly felt smaller and colder. A foreboding took over as he became aware of an ominous presence.

The arms encircling him became larger and more tighter—more possessive. He gasped, jolting backwards, but there was no where else to go in his seat. Unexpected fear and confusion held him at a momentary lost.

White feathers on large wings came into close view as they shielded around him.

"Dark, I am just like you." Moon-touched skin and golden, glowing eyes lifted from his shoulder and moved to watch his face intensely. The kaito froze. Even his heart seemed to stop beating. "And, I lov—"

A petrified scream tore loose as Dark leaped to his feet on top of the bed. Black feathers went in every direction as large wings sprouted and flapped in a confused flurry.

On a small side of the same bed, Satoshi's blue eyes snapped open. He sat up as best as he could to take the situation in, barely missing the beating wings skimming his light blue hair. Looking down at Satoshi, Dark more or less yelled this time as an expression akin to horror and anger mixed on his face. The black angel had finally lost it.

Before Satoshi could do anything Krad was at the forefront, demanding that their shared body move, regardless of the low blood pressure. Gold poured into azure, but Krad wasn't quick enough by far. A boot to the lower chest had Satoshi's smaller frame spiraling off the bed. Another yell later and Dark fell in a chaotic mess off the other side.

Partially stunned, Krad took a minute before bringing forth his wings and own form.

"You idiot!" he bickered passed the bed and straight at the kaito.

"You stay the hell out of my dreams!" Dark defended furiously, puffing like he'd just ran a marathon. Satoshi decided to remain quiet and observe whatever was going on between the two. Though his chest was sore and he wished he could rub some of the ache away, but Krad wasn't going to that. The white angel would rather ignore it.

"Have you gone mad?" Krad raged, as he climbed to his feet. He looked slightly different in beige sweatpants and a regular white t-shirt.

"You had to have been manipulating my dreams; that's the only explanation for it." Dark, sounding no less angered, stood also.

"'It'? I highly doubt I would do anything to you." Krad brushed himself off. Dark shuddered, making Krad reevaluate just what all it was that Dark had meant by 'it'.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Dark nearly hissed at Krad's searching eyes and pursed lips.

"Everyone else has put it there today," Krad explained.

"Pervert! What the hell were you doing sleeping in the same bed as me?"

"I was not going to lie in a bed that smelled of powders and perfume!" Krad countered.

Inside, Satoshi understood Krad's reasonings, but he knew Dark was going to use Krad's comment as an opportunity to bash.

Dark shook his head, a frown of disgust marring his features. "That sounded _sooo_ gay." Satoshi mentally sighed. "That's how a woman smells. You shouldn't be avoiding that scent. It should have been a treat for you."

**'Dark, I think you're taking this too far. And you nearly gave us a heart attack earlier. It's not fun to have one of **_**those **_**dreams, is it? Remember how you teased me?'** A recovered Daisuke sounded as if he was somewhat enjoying the turnabout.

'Shut it! Krad did something!'

Said angel laughed. And it was full of mockery aimed fully at the phantom thief.

"You were having intimate dreams of me? I think it is you who harbors hidden feelings."

** 'I believe those darts, your healing touch, and Dark's passing out caused the dream. Right before he passed out, you were the last thing he was concentrating on. ****This theory makes the most sense, so can we shut up about it?' **Satoshi was most certainly cranky.

"I know which side of the fence _I _stand on!" Dark harrumphed, and walked for the door to the living room. He came to an unexpected halt as the late afternoon sunlight filtered on him. His shiny black primary feathers fanned an instant before he dashed for the front door.

"It's already so late! Krad! We need to go!" Dark's voice rang out as his footsteps quickly gained distance across the hardwood floor.

**'What's going on?'** Daisuke asked worriedly.

'Mat kidnapped Miranda! You seriously slept through all that?'

** ' WHAT? I must have...and, I still don't feel so good.'**

'You're going to have to deal. We don't have any more time to waste.'

Something hot slammed into the middle of his back, making him top heavy and sending him crashing to the floor. Dark slowly picked himself up. "Krad!" Dark said threateningly, as he swung around to face the hunter standing in the other doorway.

"We are not going yet," Krad announced smoothly with both arms crossed.

"We have to!"

"I put a hole in the car's fuel tank. If that isn't enough to save the woman, then so be it. How long do you think the Niwa's body, whom is unused to most magics, can handle the stress your wings are putting on it? You have had some rest, now get some sustenance before your Tamer falls dead and leaves me with nothing."

The white angel had a good argument, but still...

"You don't care if Mat violates her?" Dark asked.

"Humans do that anyway, and she is really none of my concern. But, if it will pacify you some, then remember that Mat said he wasn't a killer. Her life is in no danger."

**'Dark, calm down! Don't attack him!' **The kaito was literally shaking with fury, and he was fighting to keep it under control.

"Sometimes, violating; _invading_, can kill someone's spirit and thus snuff out their life. Don't tell me you don't know that! What if someone broke into you? Do you think that you could tolerate it with how proud you are? With all the time you'd have in the future to brood on it?"

Gold eyes flickered dangerously. "Do not dare compare me to a human!"

"I'M NOT COMPARING! AND THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

"Save your energy and that rage for Mat, whom it should be focused on."

**'Just fix something real quick so we can go!' **Daisuke whined to a ready-to-retaliate thief.

"Fine!" Dark quickly stormed to the kitchen to throw a sandwich together. "You're still as much of an ass as ever!" he directed with a glare toward Krad.

"And take a few minutes to get clean afterward," Krad said, as he twisted around to go back in to the bedroom. A glass shattered to the floor.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME—"

"Then make time," Krad calmly interrupted. "Flying off right after eating could just make you throw it back up." Dark evil-eyed Krad as he disappeared passed the doorway. He heard the bed make a soft noise as the white angel sat on it.

**'Dark, I think he cares a little.'**

'Don't read into it too deeply, Dai. He just wants our help.'

**'Call it a hunch,'** Daisuke persisted.

'Intuition? Only girls have that,' Dark teased, causing Daisuke to rant as he found a jug of grape juice in the fridge.

**'Maybe it would be a good idea to offer Krad some food. Satoshi has to be getting pretty worn down by now, too.'**

'I think you should keep your ideas to yourself. Satoshi probably already grabbed him a bite before falling asleep a while ago.'

**'Pour him a glass of juice, at least. We have an important mission coming up.'**

'Nag, nag, nag. You get that from Emiko.' Though complaining, Dark stepped over the shards of the first glass to get a third glass to join the second one on the counter.

Dark had three meaty sandwiches fixed, and one was already half eaten and sticking out of his mouth as he carried a plate and two filled glasses to the guest bedroom. There he set everything down to find Krad lying back with his feet touching the floor and his wing tips suspended off either sides of the bed. A faint glow outlined him. Daisuke was immediately worried at the sight, but Dark just munched on his sandwich.

'Krad's just resting, Dai. And he's restoring some of what he took back to Satoshi.'

**'Can you explain that better?'**

'Both Satoshi and him fell asleep, and now Krad is automatically regenerating and repairing the wear he's put on Satoshi's body from transforming and staying out so long. We take a certain amount of energy for ourselves when we come out, and Krad is also giving a little of that back.'

**'Ah. I didn't know he could be so nice.'**

'He's not,' Dark explained while he wolfed down his second sandwich. _Yum, honeyed ham_, he thought to himself.

'What he is doing, and what I've been telling you is—key word here—_automatic_. When our Tamers become stressed to a certain point we almost have to fight not to help regenerate them. We are one and the same with who we inhabit. If one dies, the other dies. It's a way to help insure that we get passed to the next generation.'

**'It couldn't be that you guys really are angels at heart?'**

'Not a chance. We wouldn't have the title of "curses" then, would we?'

**'I don't know, but I'd like to believe that life is made so we can find what completes us. You both keep getting passed down because you guys haven't found what you need to yet. Which is understandable since you two were originally made by imperfect humanity and then, on top of that, split apart and mixed into lives that aren't your own.'**

'Enough, Daisuke. I don't want to get on that topic.' Although Dark was happy that Daisuke cared enough to think so deeply, even if it was a bit annoying.

Daisuke sighed. **'All right.'**

Dark scarfed his third sandwich down and chugged his juice. He left the other glass standing on the nightstand and ran for the stairs in the living room. Tucking his wings in, he leaped passed the hole in the middle of the stairs, landing easily on the second floor, and sprinted for what looked like the master bedroom.

"Better to keep these out," Dark said, extending his large black wings a little as he ran, "than to have to use more energy and reform them again later. I dare not call on With right now."

** 'Why?' **

Goodness, Dai didn't know...

"How do you feel about having little Withs running around with the power of fire?"

** '…' **If Daisuke had been in control his jaw would have dropped.** 'Oh no, Dark! The phoenix didn't...?'**

"Don't blame me!" Dark said, as he turned into the huge bedroom (that really did smell strongly of powders and perfume) and ran to a big personal side bathroom. Green seemed to be the color theme here. It shined with a recently cleaned look, especially the large footed tub in the back. "Besides, it was consensual." _And I wish I'd have never witnessed it._

Dark kicked the door behind him closed and practically attacked the button on his pants. He had them and the snug open-side briefs underneath off in record time before jumping for the glass shower stall. He'd have to keep the translucent door to it open so as to have enough room for his large wings. Twisting a couple knobs, cold water poured, causing him to squeak.

"Quick shower means no time to wait for the water heater. At least I'm totally awake now."

A tan hand reached for the bar of white soap. It smelled good, if only a little too feminine for his tastes, but it was all he had at the moment. Just so happened that the brand name was still carved on it.

"Dove, huh?" A little bit of irony, maybe?

He quickly, but thoroughly washed everything down as the water warmed.

**'Ouch!'** Daisuke yelped. **'Dark! That hurt!'**

"Well, excuse me, it's a little sensitive!"

**'Why?'** Daisuke sounded worried.

"You try having a steel rod inside unyielding pants!"

**'That's inappropriate!' **Daisuke blushed. Yet, he was curious as to why this had happened. He couldn't remember it having happened before when the kaito had control.

"It wasn't my damned fault!" Dark snorted angrily, and didn't elaborate further as he ducked under the stream of water. Hurrying, he shut off the shower and stepped from the stall, shaking himself off.

**'Use a towel, Dark.'**

"I plan to."

But the closet was empty of any.

"Great."

The bathroom's door was suddenly yanked open. Dark spun around to it. He had an instant to see Krad standing there before a folded fluffy blue towel struck his face and the door slammed back shut.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Dark nearly broke a vessel shouting as he threw the clean towel around him and ran for the door, snatching the knob and tearing it open. Krad was fiddling inside an open dresser. Dark marched over to him, keeping one hand firmly on the towel wrapped around him, and the other balled in a fist.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK—"

"It is not my fault you washed too fast for either of our liking," Krad broke in. "It is a personal pet peeve of mine to see damp spots on clothes, and also for dirty clothes to be worn a second time. Here," Krad said, as he forced a pair of gray sweatpants with a white t-shirt against the kaito's chest. "Fortunately, these are unisex and are big enough that we can wear them comfortably. There is a new pack on the bed where you can select a pair of undershorts."

"You mean boxers?" Dark raised an eyebrow.

"They look like shorts to me and the name fits better." Krad's look dared Dark to start an argument over the undergarments. Dark let it go.

"The only way I can see a woman having boxers around is if she sleeps in them," he stated, going over to the bed for them.

"That is probably the case," Krad agreed, then walked out the room.

**-.-**

Miranda's yip, as she tripped _again_,was smothered by the gag tied around her mouth. She swore all the roots of the surrounding trees were lifting on purpose to make her fall. The orange light that shined down through the leaves made it clear that the day was fading. Within the next couple of hours there wouldn't be a better recipe for tripping.

"This would be much easier if you would let me carry you," Mat said, as a way of offering once more. Miranda drudged to stand back up with her wrists and ankles tied, giving Mat the worst go-to-hell look she could muster. Mat shrugged at her attitude.

"My shack is more than a mile away, but if you insist." He gestured with his hand for her to continue on. She grudgingly shuffled what little steps she could with the binding ropes. Even with this precaution he wasn't going to let her out of his sight for even a second. Which was why she wasn't going to ask for a much needed potty break. She felt her eyes watering and told herself it was just because she needed to go so badly; that she wasn't in a hopeless situation and that _they_ weregoing to come looking for her. But, could she possibly be found way out here where there was no visible trail to take? And more importantly, before it was too late?

There was only one road to follow out from her place, and it was a long one. Mat's car had run out of fuel on it. Would they recognize the vehicle on the side of the road and see her shoe prints beside it from where she had struggled briefly? Would they then be able to track her down like a pro through these scattered and darkening woods?

Would they even come at all?

She wasn't sure that they were able even _if_ they wanted to. Mat probably did something to insure that they couldn't. Maybe they were dead?

Tears really did start falling then. She had to work hard at breathing around the gag and through a clogging nose.

**-.-**

Two determined-faced angels walked side-by-side to stop where Mat's Volvo had been parked in the huge yard.

**'The leaked fuel has long dried, so there will be no following that. The best thing that we can do is go to the police and get a search party involved,'** Satoshi pointed out.

'I will not rely on others for my revenge,' Krad returned. Satoshi knew that it was pointless to argue with Krad, but he really wanted to know what that made Dark then.

"We need to get up high and see what possible routes he could have taken." Dark followed this sentence by taking the lead and jumping into the air. Each powerful thrust of his wings sent him a good fifteen feet higher. Krad opened his, aligning the upper curve of them against the gentle wind as he leaped up gracefully.

Even though he was just a few seconds behind, Dark was already much higher than him. He spread his wings more, gathering air and forcing it all down in a single stroke. It shot him straight up like a bullet. When the first signs of slowing came, his tensed his muscles and did it again. Soon he shot passed Dark.

"Eh?" Dark regarded Krad's haste. As Krad slowed this time he fanned his wings out to hover, looking down the couple of stories at the phantom thief.

"I am the hunter. This is where my skills are needed."

"Mat is on the run. As a thief, I should be able to understand what he will do," Dark explained impatiently.

"Mat is not running. He is making his way back to his place. We need only to track him, and you cannot track. Perhaps you will be of use if we need to disarm him."

Krad wasted no more time talking and looked away from the angry twitch in Dark's simmering eyes. There was a narrow dirt road far below that merged into a long paved version. It twisted with curves every so often, looking like some embedded giant gray snake in the land. The railroad tracks they'd climbed over last night eventually cut through it. The only thing left to see was grass, and further along, trees. There were no tire tracks leading through any of the lush green. Mat had taken the road and continued on, as the tracks in the dirt road suggested.

**'Aren't you over-thinking this? It's obvious that going off the road would only send you through patches of trees. That would be too rough of terrain.'**

'You never know where the enemy's hole is.' Krad left it at that as he angled to follow the road. Farther below, Dark mirrored his movements.

'About time!'

**He took less than a minute, Dark.'**

'It took me less than two seconds to see we needed to go this way! No wonder he could never catch me—he's too slow!'

**'Maybe.'** Daisuke didn't sound thoroughly convinced. **'Just let him lead. He's the expert at this.'**

Dark grumbled disapprovingly.

Krad kept gold eyes on the paved stretch of road beneath. A while later it still hadn't branched off in any direction and didn't look as if it would any time soon. There weren't any cars in the distance, either, and as such only pure scents wafted about. It was as if they were the only inhabitants for miles. It was peaceful until Dark's flying form came into view from a ways below. Why was he getting ahead of him? Dark wasn't suppose to lead.

"Do not rush," Krad called down.

"Huh?" Dark looked up. "I haven't changed my pace, though I wish _you_ would. You're too relaxed; we need to be quicker for Miranda's sake." Dark really did pick up speed then.

Krad's brows creased slightly as he increased his own speed. Had he really slowed down? He hadn't noticed he did.

**'It's strange that we're all working together,' **Satoshi commented.

'I do not expect it to happen again.'

Satoshi remained quiet at this.

A few minutes later, after a stretch and a sharp curve came into view, a powder-blue car drew attention from where it sat, parked on the side of the road. Krad was about to mention it right before Dark spotted it.

"That must be Mat's!" Dark said excitedly, diving in a rush for the road. He was gaining incredible speed, and the rush of wind pumped even more adrenaline into his system. He was more than ready to beat Mat to within an inch of his life.

"Mousy!" Krad yelled, as he dove after the kaito.

_What a daft move! He is leaving himself wide open for any weapon's attack!_

**'Krad! An eighteen-wheeler is coming around the curve!' **Satoshi just did spot the hulk of it before the fast descent had the trees covering it from view.** 'Dark's going to get hit! He's too close to the road now and can't see it coming!' **

The kaito evened out, following low along the pavement, keeping most of the speed from his dive. The eighteen wheeler was just starting to come to the opposite side of the sharp curve. Dark was nearly to it and the Volvo. At this rate...

_Damn!_ _I don't see Miranda, or Mat in the car!_ Dark could definitely tell it was the bastard's Volvo when this close to it. Here he'd been hoping his sudden appearance might have had Mat abandoning whatever he could be doing to her.

"MOUSY!" Krad yelled again, still diving. He wasn't going to make it to his counterpart in time.

**'He can't hear you!'** Satoshi shouted out. The sad thing being the angels weren't that far apart now.

Krad charged a blast of magic to his palm as he straightened out and flew low along the road. Dark's only hope laid in knocking him out of the direct path of the still hidden oncoming truck. Dark slowed most of the way down as he looked back at Krad closing in behind him. He'd sensed the building magic.

**'NO! His attention needs to be on the road, not us!'**

Dark's luminous eyes locked with his. They were mildly shocked at what he thought was an act of betrayal from the white angel. He thought they'd at least beat Mat before flinging cheap shots at each other. But without the rushing wind in his ears he caught the loud sounds of an engine close by.

He snapped his wings to a sudden full stop and looked ahead of him again. Metal and chrome tore loose from the green scenery, gleaming a deep red-orange in the setting sunlight. It was huge.

Tires locked and smoke erupted in a futile effort to stop. A horn blared, making his ears pop and ring. Time slowed and he saw the big-boned man in the driver seat, saw the surprise in the man's deep-set eyes, saw white knuckles gripping the steering wheel in front of him hard.

His heart slammed painfully in his chest. Every cell in his body thrummed to a rapid pitch, denying the threatening end that was right in front of him.

The Phantom Thief had just entered a life or death moment.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N: My thanks to Dark Hearted Shinobi, Sapphiet, Dawns Eternal Twilight, kaida-karasu, Thyemiricklantern, and Sno-oki for reviewing! You guys gave me something to look forward to. :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**-****)*(****-**

Everything was so slow. Even the air currents moved over his skin like some unseen gentle caress instead of the powerful element that it was. Maybe it was saying goodbye to him? The truck appeared to be coming at a snail's pace. It was strange. He felt amped up and knew things were going much faster than this.

The truck's shiny grill began dominating his vision. Why wasn't he moving out of the way already? Dark learned with some astonishment that he _was_ turning slightly, but no matter how fast it _felt_ like he should be going, he wasn't moving quickly at all. He did the only thing he could do at this point; he brought a surge of magic to create a forcefield. With the little time he had it wouldn't have but a small percentage of his power. It would probably be more of a wasted effort than any help, but he had to try.

Krad's magic burned the air. It slammed into his dim bubble-like shield as if it were a bolt of lightning, sending him crashing into the woods. Branches scratched against his sputtering barrier, and even before he'd hit the ground his fragile magic gave out. He slid over pine straw and dirt, stopping when his shoulder caught roughly on a tall root.

Krad watched Dark disappear in a falling blur through the trees. The truck zoomed passed where the phantom thief had been at. They really couldn't have cut it any closer. The huge machine grabbed Krad's complete attention as it wobbled, attempting to veer too late out of its original victim's path, only to leave the road for the open field as it jackknifed and brought its tubed container swinging toward him. It was coming like a giant bat. How was he to dodge that when this close?

Simple. He had no intention of dodging. Bringing forth a feather, he summoned more magic.

**'No! That's a fuel truck! You'll blow it up!' **Satoshi said frantically. He cringed as Krad directed a massive amount of magic into his medium. Was the angel going to attempt imploding the entire cargo in order to control the explosion? Was that feat even possible? But the driver would...

Dark grabbed his bruised shoulder and stood, running back out to see the commotion as all those many locked tires slid and kicked up gravel. It was making such an awful racket.

"Crap!" He spotted Krad standing his ground, getting ready to launch a feather at the advancing container. Daisuke was in too much shock to comment. The little guy's gears weren't even clicking into place yet; his mind was still filled with the image of that deadly grill.

He only had a few seconds at most. Dark leaped toward the container's fast moving shadow. With direct sunlight blocked he himself could shadow and reach Krad almost instantly that way.

Krad's gaze zoomed to the sudden weight gripping his wrist. A tan hand held him and purple eyes formed. He couldn't see anything else, for Dark was unexpectedly jumping on top of him. His weight knocked both of them off balance, sending them flat on the pavement. In no time what could have been a mountain passed over them, spraying flecks of gravel and coating them with the burning smell of rubber. It was so loud, so close, and just totally dominating. They were going to die, weren't they? Both angels squeezed their eyes shut.

It didn't take long for the tremors running through the road to cease as the container finally stopped some yards away. Dark rolled off and stood, looking gray and shaking like a leaf. Krad stayed on the pavement, wide-eyed and holding his breath. His skin was also tinted gray, and he had little rocks dotting him. Dark tapped him with a boot. Krad made a small noise and blinked, rolled, and then stood up just as shakily as his opposite before turning a crazed glare on the thief.

"I SAVE YOUR LIFE AND THEN YOU FORSAKE THAT AND ATTEMPT TO GET US BOTH KILLED!" The yell cut harshly through the heavy quietness that had settled.

"I couldn't let you destroy the truck! You'd have blown everyone to China! Besides, I was mostly sure it'd sail over us." The kaito started brushing tiny rocks out of his hair. "You need to be more careful."

"ME?" Krad noticed the feather still glowing in his hand and flung it at Dark, who dodged.

"You stupid kids need to stay out of the road! I don't care if it is deserted most of the time!" A big barrel-chested man stepped from around the front of the truck. Dark threw himself to Krad's back, holding the large white wings out of sight as he folded his own black ones close against his back.

"Yeah! Sorry about that! We were walking and got to playing and weren't paying much attention!" Dark acted the part of a shook up, disciplined teenager perfectly. Although the shook up part wasn't exactly something he had to put forth much effort in. Krad turned his face to peer at him. The hunter's expression showed that he wasn't in the mood for this, especially when it merited his wings to be manhandled. He was touchy about his wings, as they were highly sensitive and no one was allowed to touch them.

"You two are just lucky I can handle that thing," the driver boosted, as he stopped a few feet in front of them with his arms crossed. He appeared to be studying them heavily. Had this man saw their wings and recognized them for what they were in that brief moment? Or worse, had he seen their quick flashes of magic? Krad regarded him with a look of absolute distaste, which didn't go unnoticed by the man.

"What's wrong with you, buddy?" the man's deep voice boomed.

"He's still shaken up," Dark tried to cover. "Don't mind him." He gave a nervous laugh. _The truck driver had better leave soon_, he thought, as the agitation rolled off his counterpart. Krad wanted to fight. Anytime the white angel felt threatened he was always quick to lose his temper. The truck had certainly been threatening, even if the driver had yet to make a threatening gesture himself. Krad really needed to learn of outlets for his attitude.

"Well," the man said, "I've got to check the rig over now. You two be more careful. You should be made to pay for the changes of tires I'm going to need." The man wasn't going to ask them about what he thought he saw. Good.

"You should learn how to driv—" Dark's hand snapped over Krad's mouth a little too late.

"What?" the man asked, his expression turning provoked.

"Nothing!" Dark spoke up politely. Krad elbowed Dark and tore free from his hand. He then pushed the kaito backward a step for good measure.

"What did you say, kid?" the man asked again, while looking down at the deceivingly slender build of Krad's and cracking his knuckles. The menacing gesture was lost on the hunter.

In the blink of an eye he had his great white wings stretched upward and a clawed hand shooting forward. The man's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. Dark grabbed Krad by the back of his shirt and pulled before the blow could slice into fleshy cheek. The man made a startled sound, nearly falling to scramble back to his truck. The white angel then turned his fury on the kaito who'd obstructed his attack.

"Easy! Save it for Mat, remember?" Dark said, as he restrained his counterpart around the upper forearms. Krad made a long frustrated noise, but fought to heed his own words from before, and steadied himself. He'd used a lot of magic and needed to recover on that. Besides, he didn't want a physical brawl with his other half.

Some yards away the fuel truck grounded into gear and pulled off in a hurry. Soon it and its noise disappeared into the distance.

Glittering gold narrowed and the angry red in pale cheeks finally dispersed.

"When are you going to release me?" Krad asked with a scowl.

"As soon as I know your temper is under control." Tense situations always made Krad a loose cannon. On the bright side, he hadn't been serious about harming Dark, even though the kaito had practically leashed him. Dark's tight grip left the hunter's arms as he suddenly leaned in and hugged the blond.

"What?" Krad gasped, completely caught off guard by the tight embrace.

"It's Daisuke." Indeed, the different voice did sound like the redhead. Krad stood stiffly for a moment, then pale arms reached awkwardly up. As this happened blue overpowered gold. Long blond locks shortened and watery red eyes looked to see Satoshi standing there. Satoshi released, backing away slowly.

"I thought we were goners back there," Daisuke sniffed. The impression was unusual with him being in Dark's form. Satoshi looked at his smaller hands confusedly. He never thought he'd be anything other than happy to have control back, but they needed Krad out to track down Mat and Miranda. How did Daisuke do this? How did he have the ability to suppress the angel? This was the second time he'd done it. Well, Satoshi hoped it was Daisuke that had triggered it this second time. Azure glanced up into crimson. They both seemed to think the same thing at the exact same time.

_Awkward._

**-.-**

Mat's voice as he addressed someone made her pause and turn around. She caught a glimpse of him on a cell phone before he motioned with his hand for her to keep on going. She turned back around and continued on, but listened carefully to what he was saying behind her.

"Derek, you still there? Man, signal's a pain out here. Yeah, I went to see Miranda again. Yes, she's with me. Listen, I need you— Shut up! So what if I did have to resort to that? …What? You didn't think I was serious? Look, just bring the four-wheeler. You can track me by my phone, right? Do that and order the usual pizza for all of us and whatever else you want. You can put it on my tab." Mat snapped his phone shut. Miranda looked back at him in disbelief. Now his friend was in on this, too? Was nothing going to go in her favor?

"What? I thought you'd be hungry after all this walking," Mat stated innocently enough.

Clearly he was mistaking the reason for her expression. The pizza was not the problem. It happened to be her second favorite food with all its delicious cheesy goodness... Her stomach growled. Mat grinned and walked up to her, lazily putting an arm around her shoulders.

"See? Just relax and I'll take care of you," he said.

Miranda bounced repeatedly in a sudden fit where she stood, knocking and keeping his arm off of her as she slung her head, screaming what she could of curses passed the confining cloth in her mouth.

"Whoa, easy girl," Mat said playfully. Miranda gave him the worst gaze she could muster and charged. She wasn't going to let Mat get her, and she definitely wasn't going to let that Derek help, either. Two-to-one were odds she certainly couldn't win against. She had to do something _now_.

Her attack wasn't something he was prepared for, so when Miranda threw herself into him his counter reflexes were overdone. He forced her away, sending her tumbling sideways. She tripped over a root and landed roughly in a tiny, trickling stream, no bigger than a few inches wide. Some rock cut across her ankle and thin trails of blood flowed within the moving water.

"Miranda, I'm so sorry!" Mat apologized in a rush as he hurried to pick her up. "I didn't mean to hurt you!" Miranda shook his hands off and picked herself up without his help. She carefully limped in the direction they'd been going, giving up. She was helpless. She'd known that. There was just nothing she could do, not now and not after they made it to his place. Mat frowned, but followed after her. They remained silent until the sound of a motor drew close.

She was doomed. Night was truly falling and now here came Mat's friend.

**-.-**

"Krad, can you move any faster?" Dark griped for the umpteenth time, yet he added something new at the end of it: "It's almost too dark for you to see much anymore." The sun was almost gone; its red-orange tendrils disappearing from the horizon.

Krad stared with unblinking eyes to the fresh, distinct trail they walked. Well, it was distinct to him the way the fallen leaves had been trodden on and nearby brittle branches had been broken. But, as Dark had made a true—if not obvious—statement, he was losing clarity of it. Soon he wouldn't be able to see it without practically putting his nose up to it, and even then he would be following it at the pace of an old man through the dimmest areas. Dark wouldn't go for that.

"I hope you have been paying attention." Krad finally blinked as he looked up at the kaito. "You are going to have to take lead through the darkest areas where the moon cannot penetrate and I am left blind." For he couldn't leave it totally up to the kaito. They'd get lost without a doubt if Krad didn't ensure every little while that they were still following it.

"I'm tempted to just fly from this point on. They more or less have been going in the same direction for a while now." The only thing stopping Dark from acting on this was the fact that he had retracted his wings some time ago for Daisuke's sake. The redhead couldn't handle them for very long at all, and he wanted to be sure of a prime time before using them again.

"It is not clear whether Mat has stayed on this course or not. His place may not be easily spotted in these woods from above. Are you suffering from lack of confidence in following this trail? If so, then I certainly do not want to be following you." Krad's cat-like eyes regarded the thief briskly before moving back on to the trail. Best not to waste time.

A small rock was turned from its resting place. Where dirt showed, a few footprints stood out like beacons. Either this proved Mat wasn't as sneaky and thorough as they'd thought, or the bastard was laying a trap for them. Krad doubted it was since Mat hadn't planned on having to go on foot at first, but after his car had given out (and if he found out it had been sabotaged) he could have thought of the possibility of creating one.

**'Mat wants time with Miranda. Since he doesn't know that you are a great tracker this probably isn't his version of a trap, but stay on guard just in case,' **Satoshi warned.

They walked on. The night was bringing in cooler air and the scent of pine and Earth stirred strongly around them. Night creatures were awakening. Bats squeaked and a possum scurried, looking like a giant rat as leaves scattered noisily from under its paws.

Dark walked with a quiet confidence. His arms hung loosely at his sides as he tilted his head, studying the ground. Krad wasn't sure that he recognized the trodden ground as opposed to the untouched and, sure enough, the black angel paused after a minute. Krad kept going. Only once the blond was a few feet ahead did Dark discover the path again.

"It appears that there is a thicket of trees ahead covering a good portion of the trail. Think you can get us through it?" Krad asked, with little faith.

"To be honest, I can only follow the footprints we're seeing every now and then."

"Not good enough, Mousy."

Dark bristled at the chiding tone. He twisted fast toward the hunter, his purple eyes standing oddly out in the shadows of his face. "I know!" He glanced back down at the leaves, analyzing the whole area. He took off briskly, then suddenly veered in the open space a distance before the trees.

"You are off track," Krad announced exasperatedly. Dark stopped and balled his fist.

"How the hell do you know?" the kaito raved.

"There is a rather large imprint on exposed dirt that looks as if someone fell." Krad pointed to it and didn't bother reminding him he'd said _through _the thicket to begin with. Dark hadn't noticed it at all; he'd been too busy looking straight down. The white angel sighed. "If you get us lost we will not find the place until after morning. I am considering just waiting here."

"No! We have to find them soon!" Dark raced over to the disturbed debris, seeing where Miranda's hands had pushed into the dirt as she'd gotten back up. Something didn't look right; she hadn't spread her arms out to lift herself up. Her hand prints were so close that they overlapped each other. Dark's eyes reflected eerily, as if he were an animal being captured on a night-visioned camera. "That bastard has her hands tied." His voice held bridled traces of promised violence.

"He also has her leg movements restrained." Krad sauntered to the thief's side. Dark's vehement gaze settled on the detached hunter. "You had not noticed how the smaller footprints we have seen have had abnormally little distance between them? Or how they have shuffled often?" Krad asked. Dark shook his head and licked his lips, flashing a bit of fang in the process.

"To walk in this terrain with that kind of handicap is damn near a form of torture."

"This means you will have something to easily follow in the thicket where all the roots are," Krad stated. Dark looked at the large patch of closed-in trees and scattered bushes. Walking over to the beginnings of it, the first thing he noticed was another impression exposing dirt and tracks. Not far up ahead there was another impression, followed by another—all beside roots.

"Now this I can follow!" the kaito said happily. He suddenly took off at a run into the obscure depths, appearing to be swallowed by the covering blackness. Even the white of his t-shirt had disappeared. Krad hurried in, tracking the kaito by his voice as he counted the number of times Miranda had fallen. He wanted to tell his opposite to slow down; he couldn't see a thing, and the path was a rough one. But Krad held his tongue and kept on, fearing and figuring that he'd probably end up falling at least once before they made it out.

"Hey! Watch for the thorns over here!" Dark called out, interrupting his count for a brief interlude.

"I cannot see your position, in case you have forgotten," Krad said angrily.

"Awe! But if I come back for you then I'll lose track of the falls, and I'm keeping careful record to pay Mat back for each one."

Krad grinned. "Do not worry about collecting me. I will make it out eventually." He pressed on and, indeed, did make it out. The full moon had risen high by this time. It casted a bluish-white light on everything, making what wasn't blocked by a few gatherings of trees glow intensely.

"Damn, the falls stopped." Dark looked like a dog lost on the trail as he walked in half circles, trying to find anything out of place in the open area.

"Stop!" Krad nearly shouted. Dark froze, snapping his head in the hunter's direction.

"What?" the illuminated thief asked.

"You are trampling the path! I can see it again." Krad paused to take a thorn out of his cheek and shoulder.

"Oh." Dark rubbed the back of his head. The blond shook his head lightly and marched on, pausing every little bit when the trail became difficult.

"We're coming up on more trees," Dark announced after half an hour. "Fifty-four," he suddenly added.

"What?" Krad asked, as he lifted a finger from his chin.

"She fell again," the black angel explained and jogged over to the spot, then ducked and disappeared passed one of the trees. Krad considered flying over this patch of woods, but quickly dismissed the idea. If their quarry were nearby he'd give them away. Him and Dark both weren't nearly the quietest of fliers, not to mention his bright wings would stand out easily with the moon's light. He frowned as he stepped after Dark. A mighty crunch later, Krad found himself on the ground.

Everything went dead quiet for all of half a second—then: "What the heck was that?" Dark asked from somewhere in front of the white angel.

"Pine cones. I stepped in a pile of them," Krad muttered. Amusement swam around him. It didn't take eyesight to know that Dark was grinning.

"I see that you've also fallen flat on your face," the kaito chortled. "If it weren't for your wings you'd look like a snooty lost runaway."

"Be silent," Krad commanded as he stood, dusting leaves off his shirt. As his hand stirred the air by his face he stopped the motion and studied the tips of his fingers. He couldn't see it, but he smelt blood on there and it wasn't his. It didn't take Dark long to noticed the stillness in his counterpart.

"Why are you staring at your hand?"

Instead of answering Krad returned with a question of his own: "Do you see any blood on my shirt?"

"Are you telling me that you're hurt?" the thief asked, as leaves and sticks moved, signaling that he was coming closer.

"You know that I cannot be harmed that easily." Krad frowned slightly. Dark's light musky and spicy scent swirled close as the noises from his boots halted.

"You do actually have blood on your shirt. It's not much; a few smears here and there. They look really dark."

"The blood has been exposed for a time is why," Krad informed. "I hear a stream close by. Can you guide me there?"

The question left Dark at a loss. Since when did his opposite ask for favors?

"Never mind," Krad said sharply after a small pause, his face unreadable. "I can find it myself." The white angel brushed passed him blindly.

"Yo! It'll be quicker if I show you." Dark gently grabbed a wing. Next thing he knew his head was snapping back due to a white, feathery blow. He cursed, grabbing his nose.

"You should refrain from touching those," Krad said angrily. Two floating purple orbs flared bright out of the darkness. It was the only warning Krad had before he was propelled off his feet by a firm kick to his side. He landed right into something cold and wet.

"There's your stream," Dark sniffed, swiping at his bleeding nose before walking away. Krad growled, his own eyes shining brightly, and then dimming just as quickly. He reluctantly cleaned himself off and followed after the thief.

Dark had already made it out of the patch of woods. As the kaito stood there stiffly an icy wind blew. It ruffled his locks playfully, but his demeanor was anything but. He stared at a piece of ground in front of him and Krad could feel waves of anger.

The white angel wasn't the cause of that anger; he knew that much. Dark was accustom to their many squabbles. What had him so mad was the minuscule, yet unmistakable dots of blood continuing on.

"She is limping," Krad pointed out. "This is her blood, but it is only a small wound."

"I can see this," Dark breathed out furiously. His long legs suddenly picked up as he sprinted forward. Krad breathed deeply once and then copied his reflection. They hurried on, soon finding small tire tracks.

**-.-**

"Dude, I still can't believe you did this," Derek repeated. Miranda sat on the plush leather couch, a half-eaten slice of pizza on her paper plate. She looked a mess and felt pitiful. It appeared Derek also felt sorry for her. His startling gray eyes had looked stunned when they'd first met out in the woods. His chocolate-colored skin had blanched to an almost murky shade and had yet to return to normal. The hovel they were now in seemed to be a temporary place, as it didn't appear to be furbished very well. Something told her Mat had gotten it just to stalk her.

"I thought you were with me on anything, Derek," Mat said mildly. He grabbed for another slice of pizza from the open box on the battered coffee table, sitting back to cross his legs as he munched and watched Miranda from the couch opposite of him.

"Yeah, well..." Derek quit pacing and sat his lean form beside Mat on his floral-patterned love seat. "Don't you think you've went a little overboard?"

"Not at all," Mat said, ignoring the uneasy vibe his 'friend' gave off.

"You have a tendency to get carried away, and you know this is crossing the line big time." Derek gestured toward Miranda's bindings.

"You weren't complaining about that fact last night, now were you?"

Derek colored, cutting a glance sheepishly at Miranda. Miranda pretended she couldn't hear and looked away.

"I need some time to think about this." Derek suddenly stood to walk out of the small room. The front door clicked gently shut.

"Can you untie me and let me go to the bathroom now?" Miranda asked angrily, shoving the plate off her lap to the floor. She was going to burst if she had to hold it for much longer.

"Despite that this is a rather small place, the bathroom is a luxurious one. When you go and I untie you, I will be going with you." Mat ignored the food on the floor.

"Y-you won't even give me a moment of privacy?" Miranda sputtered.

"Nope." Mat smiled smugly.

"You despicable, vile excuse for a pig!"

"Yeah," Mat droned, taking a big bite of pizza. Miranda narrowed her eyes and balled her fist. She swung them around as she went beyond enraged, hitting the couch behind her multiple times. Mat watched, laughing. This lasted for a couple of minutes before the front door opened again, bringing a slight smell of cigarette smoke.

"So, you're with me, right, Derek?" Mat called out.

"Yeah, I'm with you," Derek answered, as he shut the door. Miranda's fit turned to tears.

"Don't be like that," Mat said sadly to her. Miranda didn't look up at him, but she looked pleadingly over at Derek as he came closer. He turned his eyes downcast, away from her.

"So this means a threesome!" Mat said gleefully, grabbing another piece of pizza. Miranda choked and started to cough violently. Derek said nothing. He'd expected as much. Mat had been talking about having a threesome for a while now.

**-.-**

**'There it is! There it is!'** Daisuke was just as anxious as Dark to get to the wooden shack. They burst from the trees, green leaves falling in their wake, but something hot caught him between the shoulder blades, and like earlier, he became top heavy and fell to the ground.

"For a thief, you are not acting sneakily. Do you want to be on the wrong end of a gun again? If not, I suggest you be a little more cautious," Krad scolded from the safety of the woods.

"If you do that one more time—" Dark cut his threat short as a door started creaking open. He was closer to the shack than the woods, so he made fast and leaped for the roof, landing with as little noise as possible. He apparently did this well as whoever was below sighed deeply and didn't sound alarmed in the slightest. It was tempting to just swing down there and start wailing on the person. It was probably Mat after all.

"I can't believe it. I knew he was wild and all, and had some wacky ideas, but I never thought..." The man that was now obviously not Mat trailed off, sighing deeply again. Dark listened as the troubled man below talked to himself some more.

"I just never thought he'd actually go and force her. And now he wants both of us?" The man sighed deeply again. Dark made a yuck face and had to force himself not to make a sound. Krad was right; it wouldn't be good for them to make a move until they were sure any weapons were out of reach and that they could take Mat out fast, and possibly this guy if he tried to fight them. From what it sounded like the guy didn't agree with Mat, but that didn't mean the man would readily betray the bastard, either.

A lighter flicked. A few seconds later the smell of smoke floated on the air. A big puff of it drifted up and to him. Dark couldn't help it; he gave a strangled cough.

"What the—" The man below paused, then moved around. "Do we have something dying on the roof?"

**'Dark, he's going to check up here!'**

Dark didn't bother retorting that he knew that, he just moved. There was nowhere to hide on the flat roof of a shack, and the trees were out of leaping range. He'd have to shadow and hope this person wasn't sensitive to magics, or that if he was, he didn't recognize the feel of them.

An unexpected noise from the woods had the man below pausing. A bush shook and leaves crunched softly.

"The animals are really out tonight," the man spoke in mellow tones. His attention, for the moment, on the dark trees and shrubs.

Dark moved to the opposite side and hung his head off the edge of the roof. He wanted to be sure he wasn't about to drop down in front of a window. Unfortunately he was right in front of one. Miranda was in the middle of the room to his left, and Mat to his right. Neither one saw him as he quickly lifted back up.

'**Miranda looks to be okay,'** Daisuke said, relieved.

"Yep," Dark whispered, as he planned his jump. But a stuck up nail caught the side of his boot when he moved. It sent him tumbling off the edge before he could recover. At the thud of impact he swore he left a crater in the earth.

"Now what was that?"

The man started walking around to where Dark was lying in the grass, his shoulder and right knee partially buried into the ground. The kaito shook his purple head getting up and made a quick dash for a tree, lifting himself into the covering branches. About that time the man came into view. He looked young and lightly built. He also looked unarmed.

An unexpected crunch almost made Dark lose his balance out of fright. He looked down to his left, seeing nothing that could have caused the loud noise, but he could feel Krad's anger out there.

"This isn't the time to be tripping on more pine cones!" Dark hissed. Surprisingly, Krad heard him.

"Forgive me for trying to race to your rescue when unable to see!" the hunter hissed back.

"Okay, this is too freaky for me. I'm going back inside." The man abruptly turned around and briskly walked for the door, outing his cigarette along the way.

**-.-**

"You either give me alone time in that bathroom, or I will pee right here on this couch!" Miranda yelled as Derek shut the door from another trip outside.

"You know," Mat said, standing, "I really don't doubt you. If you must go alone, then go, but I won't untie you then." He made his way to the kitchen. Miranda jumped up running for the bathroom. She tore at the knob with shaky hands until it opened and she darted inside, slamming it loudly behind her.

"Women," Mat muttered, as he refilled his glass of soda. "So, what have you been up to?" Mat asked Derek.

"Just another smoke break. The animals sure are lively out there tonight. In all the weeks I've been here I haven't heard them nearly this much."

Mat eyed him as he drank his soda.

"Oh?" he said, once he put the glass down. He seemed very curious.

"Yeah. Excuse me for a bit, I've got to use the bathroom." Derek raced off.

"Miranda's in there right now, you know," Mat said.

"I know, but we're all about to get familiar with each other, anyway." Derek opened the bathroom door to Miranda's high-pitched sputtering of mutiny. There was no lock on any of the inside doors to protect privacy—that's not what the shack was built for. The door quickly shut behind him and Mat laughed.

"Easy," Derek said, averting his eyes with a blush. He was almost too scared to look away in case Miranda attacked him, tied or not. "I'll have no other chance of talking to you privately." Miranda calmed down at the earnestness tone in Derek's voice. She was still incredibly upset and embarrassed about being caught on the toilet, though.

"I don't agree with what's being done here, but I don't want to lose Mat, either. I want to help you, but I'm going to do it discreetly."

"Just how do you plan on doing that?"

"I don't know yet," Derek said sadly.

In another room, Mat loaded his Glock. The night sights glowed as three little green dots in the darkness.

"No more playing around." His grin was ruthless as he brought the weapon up. He ensured the safety was on before pocketing it.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N: I must say I was surprised by all the reviews last chapter. I'm sorry about that cliffy, but thanks you guys! It means so much for me to get feedback and it's also important for me to know that you are still interested in my story. So, thank you very much Dawns Eternal Twilight, Katherine Daystar, Sapphiet, Sno-Oki, Dark Hearted Shinobi, LioletteOfTheVoid, TeamSatisfactionFangirl, The Lantern (AKA Thyemiricklantern), kaida-karasu, and Cherry Maiden. I wouldn't have kept going without what you guys have done for me. **

**And this is just something I thought was funny: When I was writing Krad falling for the first time on the pine cones, I was listening to "I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin. Right as I wrote that Krad found himself on the ground, the part of the lyrics that say "I will not fall" blared. Needless to say I cracked up. It was just too perfect of timing. Anyway, this was just a side note that I thought worth mentioning. Until next chapter! FF19 is out! **


	17. Chapter 17

**-****)*(****-**

"So here is what we do," Dark spoke, standing from his perch in the tree and turning toward Krad, whom was close to him in a neighboring tree's wide branch. "I sneak in, collect any weapons, then you come in and corner the guys, then we both have fun using them as punching bags." Krad gave him a disapproving side glance while still facing the right side of the shack, where they had a good view of the main room inside via a large window. Dark knew by that look that the white angel wasn't going to agree with him. He also knew by Daisuke's sputtering that the teen was about to start an inner debate with him. Great. Krad was the first to speak, however.

"I am not about to wait out here for the length of time it will take for you to thoroughly search inside, nor will I sit and wait for you to announce our arrival. Not even you can sneak passed three humans in that small of an area. We will continue to observe from here until a good moment presents itself, and then we can surprise them in a sneak attack."

**'The other guy doesn't sound like a bad guy! Don't hurt him! And why is he saying to sneak passed three people? Miranda's on our side!'**

Dark rubbed at his temples. He wondered if Satoshi wasn't also disagreeing with him in the back of Krad's mind. He didn't really care if the blunette was. It would just confirm a total gang up. Why couldn't anyone ever just go along with what the phantom thief said? There always had to be qualms, especially when Krad was involved.

"Ye of little faith, you doubt my abilities too much. Don't you want to be sure that we don't get shot at this time?" Dark put his hands on his hips and gave Krad an annoyed expression. After all, it _had _been the hunter that had stopped him out of fear earlier.

'To answer your question, Daisuke, Miranda doesn't know how to keep quiet. Just ask With, who got darted because of her. That's why we'll be keeping our presence here secret. And this new guy is staying with Mat. It may just be me, but that screams enemy. To be safe, he's going to be taken out also.'

**'But the man doesn't sound as if he agrees with what Mat's doing,'** Daisuke argued.

'Maybe not, but he's going along with it. He's siding with Mat and so he'll go down with the bastard. Now shut up and let me work!' Dark impatiently snipped. A small objecting grunt from his neighboring tree made Dark wonder if he wouldn't be better off ditching his arrogant, winged teammate to go about things like he wanted. That was just asking for trouble, though, so he prepared himself to listen to his other self, no matter how aggravated he was getting.

"I know what I am talking about," Krad said haughtily. "A sneak attack when they are least able to protect themselves is the easiest way to eliminate." The hunter folded his arms and looked back to the shack's window. The main room was still empty; no one had yet to return to it.

**'E-ELIMINATE?'** Daisuke freaked.

"Waiting for the perfect moment to strike is too risky for Miranda, Krad. And we can't kill the new guy. Chances are I'll even stop you when it comes to Mat." Golden eyes flashed and a devilish grin turned towards the thief.

"You won't succeed," Krad promised softly. "That is when we will fight."

So Krad planned to turn this into an immediate battle once his revenge was complete. That didn't surprise the kaito at all.

"We'll see about that." Dark brought his hands up and bent each one of his fingers one at a time. They each made a light popping sound and the message came across clearly; the black angel was going to throw everything he had at the white angel when the time came for it. Krad narrowed his eyes and closed his lips into a malicious smile. Tension and expectation soared around them, but it broke as Krad suddenly had to adjust his balance on his branch. He hunched over, his side leaning heavily against the truck of the tree, barely keeping from falling. Dark and Daisuke watched in confusion until light blue streaked through blond.

Satoshi was fighting for control.

"I will not allow you to sully my hands further by killing," Satoshi spoke firmly, slowly coming to his own form. He gasped as he lurched forward. Unprepared, he ended up hanging upside-down on the underside of the branch. He reminded Dark of a sloth that could fall at any minute and the black angel laughed. The sound carried some. The indignant look on Satoshi's face was priceless.

**'Dark, shut up before someone hears you and help!' **Daisuke couldn't believe Dark was acting so carelessly.

The redhead's warning was in vane, for it was already too late. About twenty yards away and around the front, the shack's door flew open and Mat stepped out, highlighted in the rectangular light shining from the inside. Had he been waiting on something to occur? Daisuke didn't like the thought that he had been, nor the premonition that something extremely bad was soon to happen, but Mat's reactions had been so fast and Dark hadn't been _that_ loud. Good news was Mat didn't seem to be carrying anything on his persons.

"I know I heard someone," Mat said, checking all the woods around him. "Come out and let me see you!"

Dark hunkered down on his branch, blending in almost perfectly as he partially shadowed. Even if Mat came their way and looked carefully he still wouldn't see the thief. Satoshi was another matter entirely, and the calculative teen knew this. At the moment he could expose them both if he didn't act quickly. He didn't have what it took to pull himself back up, so there was only one thing he could do. Well, actually, maybe two. He steeled himself, and Dark could do nothing but watch as the bluenette purposely let go of the limb he dangled from. The part of the phantom thief that was Daisuke almost couldn't stop himself from reaching out for his friend. Satoshi crashed the short distance to the ground with a _whumf_! Leaves scattered and sticks broke. The teen gave a false cry of pain. Mat's head twisted in their direction as he jumped from the startling noise.

**'Satoshi!'** Daisuke inwardly cried. What was going to happen now? This entire situation couldn't get much worse. Dark had not only Miranda's well being to remain conscious of, but currently Satoshi's as well, and if Mat viewed him as a threat, well there went all hopes of a well-organized surprise attack. But Mat didn't have any reason to connect Satoshi to the two angels. As Dark thought this, he could see a possible plan forming. This could work out in their favor, providing a few things went their way.

The two quietly observed Satoshi raising to a sitting position. The bluenette shook some leaves out of his hair, a bit of shock from the fall carefully etched onto his face. The Wing Tamer regarded Mat worriedly. Of course he was acting, and doing a great job of it.

'Why that fox...' Dark trailed off with a grin. 'I do believe he has a plan to cover this accident. Calm down, Daisuke. Creepy Boy's going to have to think fast on his feet, but he can do it.'

'**What is "it"? What is he suppose to do?'**

'Distract,' Dark said. 'Worse case scenario is he ends up like Miranda, but even then he could still be of some use.' _And this frees me to do as I see fit. Ha! No Krad! _

A flashlight suddenly shined brightly at the base of the trees.

In the center of light down below Satoshi flinched and darted his eyes toward the pathetic excuse for a dirt road that led out from the place. It was far to his left, and almost behind the shack. Not good. He had too much open distance to cross. But he had no other choice because he couldn't go through any of the woods, even though he could probably get away that way. If he did so, Mat and his buddy might search for him and discover Dark before he could sneak away instead. Even shadowing like Dark could, it would only take one sweep of that flashlight to break the angel's cover and expose him.

So he worked to give all outward signs of a scared runaway, for that is the only image he could take, supposedly alone, dirty, and as young as he was. He poured everything he had into showing fear, but most of all, a sense of frailness. And—he thought annoyed—_that_ wasn't hard to pull off with his almost unhealthily thin build. Maybe Mat would even think by his appearance that he did some kind of drug and that could be a reason for why he'd "ran away" from home in the first place. It would help his illusion, even if he didn't like being thought of that way.

"Who are you and what are you doing out here?" Mat asked sharply. Satoshi flinched again, easily slipping into the persona of a lost and wary teen. He let instincts take over for what he should do next, and they told him to jump to his feet and sprint for the dirt road. The attempt looked desperate, just as he'd wanted. Now Mat was either going to let him go so he could focus on Miranda, or Mat was going to be paranoid enough to want to catch him and make sure that he couldn't cause future problems; whether that be by coming back to perhaps steal, or witnessing something he shouldn't. The teen partially hoped the despicable man chose the first option, though the second option would play more in Dark and Miranda's favor.

"Hey! Wait!" Mat yelled. Satoshi didn't, he just kept running. An instant later footsteps took off after him. Satoshi looked up at the stars begrudgingly, still giving all he had in his mad dash, but already breathing heavily. Facing facts, there was no way he could out run Mat, and at this point he shouldn't so as to avoid that possible search for him. Satoshi grumbled. He was as good as caught, and when it happened he would give the best convincing act of all time, even if it killed his pride. The Wing Tamer's mind spun, calculating how best to pull off his role perfectly.

Loud footfalls pounded close. Satoshi caught a quick glimpse of a flashlight at his side. Mat had caught up to him quicker than he thought he would; they hadn't even made it to the road yet. He gave a pathetic scream when Mat tackled him. They crashed to the hard ground in a heap. Satoshi's fake scream abruptly stopped as the wind was knocked out of him. Satoshi laid with the side of his face pressed into the grass, coughing and sputtering to pull air inside his aching innards. Mat moved from on top of him, panting some and spoke: "No need to rush off, kid. Maybe I can help you. I just need to ask you a few questions first."

An interrogation? Could Mat suspect something? He couldn't possibly know Krad and Satoshi were one. No—that idea to a normal person would be absurd. Mat had to be uneasy for the simple fact that a person just happened to make his way here the night of having pulled off a kidnap. Which meant he better act like his life depended on it, because that could very well be true.

Satoshi finally drew in a mildly shaky breath. "Please let me go! I didn't steal anything!" he hollered.

_Nice_, Dark thought, as he shadowed to the other side of the shack and sneaked a peek through another window. With Mat distracted, this job was going to be a lot easier.

In his view was a small kitchen with a bedroom leading from it on his left. The bedroom didn't have any lights on, but he scanned the contents of it easily and saw no one in there. That would be his perfect point of entry. He just needed to memorize what he could of the layout of the place first, which was easy. The main room was further back, and from there on its left was a final door. This could only be a bathroom.

The light was on in there and a shadow stood right on the opposite side of the door. Dark put two and two together. Miranda and that other guy had nowhere else they could be.

'Daisuke, you thought wrong of that guy.' Dark growled as darkness enveloped him and he disappeared from sight.

Meanwhile...

"Okay, and I believe you," Mat said to Satoshi, in what was a clear effort to soothe the terrified teen underneath him. "I'm just going to try to help you, but you've got to trust me. What is your name?"

"If I tell you, you'll just call the cops on me!" Satoshi whimpered at the end of this declaration. Mat stood and hauled the bluenette up with him.

"Are you in trouble with the law?"

Instead of answering, Satoshi "tried" to bolt from the grasp that held his wrist. Mat kept a firm hold, as expected, and didn't let him go anywhere. "It's okay if you are. I've been in trouble before and that's why I'm out here. I was just curious in asking."

_ Playing the I'm-just-like-you tactic... He really wants me to open up to him and that speaks of wanting to know something, otherwise he could have just called the police to begin with, or even dropped me off somewhere where I'd certainly be of no trouble to him and be done with it. Getting rid of me would make the most sense since he's holding and busy keeping Miranda against her will. What could he be wanting to know? If I'm alone? If this is exactly what this is—a setup? What am I missing here? _Satoshi thought, but kept his features schooled.

Was this a game of Cat and Mouse between them? If so, who would end up being the mouse?

"Please! I'm not in trouble with the law! I just can't ever go back home again!" Satoshi voiced desperately. He glanced into Mat's eyes with a look of pleading, trying to gauge what the older man was thinking. Sympathy seemed to be present with Mat, but so was a predatory gleam. What all that gleam held, only Mat knew, but it caused Krad to ignite in anger and push for control again. Satoshi had to hurry and make Krad see reason before he gave them away.

'The transformation is too slow! If Mat has a weapon on him, he'll have more than enough time to stop us!' Krad immediately settled down again, albeit very grumpily.

"Why can't you go home?" Mat asked. Satoshi didn't miss a beat.

"Because my parents don't understand anything! They don't care about me, or even like me!" Satoshi whined. Gosh, he sounded like a crybaby. He was getting on his own nerves. _Please let Dark be using this time I'm giving him wisely._

Mat smiled almost kindly. "Well, let's not worry about them, then. You can stay here for a while if you want to. Why don't you come in for some dinner?" The hand on his wrist started tugging him toward the shack. Satoshi couldn't help but feel like he was the one being lured into a trap. Why take him somewhere where he was sure to see someone being held against their will? By all means, that would scare a normal person off.

Multiple gut-wrenching and horrified screams tore through the night air from the shack. Satoshi's mouth dropped open at the terrified sounds, his mind swirling with the possibilities of what was causing them. _Damn, Dark! What are you doing?_

Mat's heart leaped to his throat. His hand clamped on Satoshi's wrist and the teen nearly hollered as he was suddenly dragged to the shack by a running Mat.

"DEREK! MIRANDA!" Mat yelled. Satoshi thought of struggling before getting pulled through the front door, but he was just as curious to find out what was going on.

Derek was hunched over in the main room grasping his knees, bruises already vividly forming around his neck. Miranda was sitting in a stupor on the bathroom's floor, surrounded by bits of mirror broken from the one glorious wall that had recently been covered by it. The dented, cracked, and broken surface there looked as if someone had gotten slammed into it.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" Mat studied Derek, who looked to him with watery gray eyes.

"Miranda's cursed!" Derek nearly squeaked. "A vengeful spirit tried to kill me for her!" The man was in hysterics as he put his hands around his hurt throat, not even noticing Satoshi still in Mat's tight grasp. "It came from a dark corner in the bathroom, and then icy coldness wrapped around my neck!"

"Derek, there's no way that can be true," Mat reasoned.

"But, it is!" Derek begged for understanding. "I was just attacked by it!"

Mat stood, unsure of what to do, still holding Satoshi's wrist with a hurtful pressure. Miranda blinked, finally coming to her senses. The first thing she noticed was the familiar bluenette in Mat's grasp. She gasped, her eyes widening. The teen shook his head to remind her to be quiet and not give him away. It was for nothing because she shouted, "Satoshi? What was that?"

All eyes snapped to the young Tamer.

Instantly, Satoshi replaced the frightened look with a blank mask. He spun a fraction, expertly twisting his hand out of Mat's iron grip. He bolted out the open door. Mat recovered quickly and pursued, but the man was at a loss as Satoshi had already disappeared from the lawn. Mat slid to a quick stop.

The yard was completely empty.

"How in the—"

"The spirit got him!" Derek cried.

"Shut up! I don't believe in spirits!" Mat yelled back at the shack. He turned and marched directly for Miranda to find out what she knew about the mysterious blue-haired boy.

**-.-**

Satoshi glanced up into the glowing eyes of the owner whose arms held him cradled on the rooftop. His heart was beating ninety-to-nothing. And why shouldn't it be? The teen had been running, then suddenly yanked off his feet without prior warning, straight up into the air. Dark gave a smirk, but it seemed forced. Satoshi furrowed his brows, and a second later saw why with the moon's help. Dark had a swollen black eye and appeared ticked off. The shack's front door slammed shut. Satoshi risked a whisper. "What happened?" he asked softly.

"I learned a lesson," Dark muttered as he placed Satoshi quietly on his feet. "You never sneak up on a black guy. You'll get hammered if you do." Dark joked, but he raised a hand to rub his face gently.

"You realize you not only ruined a chance at rescuing Miranda, but have let everyone know to be on guard from now on?" Satoshi said, more like a statement than an actual question.

"Wasn't my fault. I threw Derek into the bathroom's door to break it open so I could grab Miranda and get out of there as quickly as possible, but got clipped by a swinging fist and pelted into one gigantic mirror. I had no choice but to get out of there; that guy almost knocked me out! And Miranda had dropped from shock, so I couldn't grab her easily. I don't think she realized it was me. That, or I scared her too much." Dark removed his hand from his face to rub the back of his head, on down to his neck. He was obviously sore from his encounter. Satoshi removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

**'Satoshi-sama, I would like out now,'** Krad announced, giving a slight push at the bluenette's consciousness. The white angel was amazing in showing some patience by not simply forcing himself out. Course, if host and curse fought now they'd be discovered for all the noise it'd cause.

'I've told you that you will not sully my hands by killing, and that's just what you're wanting to do. You're ready to go in there flinging magic. That's not going to happen.'

**'It is not smart to deny me. I **_**will**_** take the situation back.'**

Satoshi put his glasses back on, determined to keep a moment where Krad could safely come out from presenting itself. If he kept close to the enemy maybe Krad wouldn't chance it.

"Dark, you're going to have to be the one to handle Mat and the others. If Krad sees an opportunity, I might not be able to stop him from going too far," Satoshi warned. Which meant he'd stay on the roof for now.

"Let him," Dark said confidently. "I can take care of him."

Krad's presence suddenly dropped from Satoshi's awareness. The Tamer immediately searched his mind for his curse, not liking that the hunter could hide so unexpectedly and thoroughly from him. It couldn't be a good thing.

It was no use. Krad stayed hidden.

"Your cockiness will be the end of you one day." Satoshi very carefully picked up his feet and moved across the rooftop, trying very hard to be quiet in his steps. It wasn't too difficult considering that the roof was made out of wood and shingles. Still, Dark made this sort of thing look easier than it really was.

"Since you're being nice enough to let me handle the goons down there, I've got an idea," Dark said, with much humor in his voice. Satoshi gave him a side glance that reminded the thief way too much of Krad, but there was questioning in the azure gaze, not an overwhelming impression of superiority.

"You'll just have to wait and see. And watch out if you go all the way over to that edge." He pointed to where he'd fallen off earlier. "There is a nail sticking up." Dark turned and jumped off the roof. Once on the ground, he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Combine that with the devious expression spreading over his face and it made for one very scary picture.

"I've always wanted to do this," the kaito chuckled. Inside, Daisuke prepared himself for a crazy round of chaos.

**-.-**

"I want to know about that kid," Mat said to Miranda, as he hauled her to the couch by her arm. Derek moved out of the way, heading toward the kitchen to sip on a glass of water in hopes of aiding his thinly stretched nerves. Miranda squeaked as she was shoved onto the leather cushions.

"I only know his name," she said in a low tone.

"Lair. You obviously knew him well enough to ask about what impossibility took place inside the bathroom with you and Derek. Tell me the truth! Is he connected to those strange beings? When did you meet him and where?"

"You sound jealous." Miranda tried to divert Mat's thoughts, with little success.

"He's a teenager, you wouldn't be interested in him. Now tell me what I want to know."

_Freakin' stalker_, she thought. "Satoshi wandered to my cottage a few days ago, and he did a few unusual things, but that's it!"

"What unusual things did he do? Did he ever say where he was from?"

"No, he didn't. He—" She was cut off by an eerie tapping on a window. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the shack. Mat and Miranda turned their heads toward Derek, who was staring out the window of the dark bedroom from the kitchen. The man's hands shook, sloshing water all over the edge of his plastic cup. His gray eyes were wide and his lips moved noiselessly. The tapping turned into a grating streak, like claws on a chalkboard. Everyone jumped. Derek dropped his beverage and hightailed it to the main room with the others, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"What's out there?" Mat asked, as Derek made it to him, looking like he was going to be sick with fear.

"It's the same thing that attacked me," Derek whispered, half out of it. "It's a black shape with claws and fangs and evil glowing eyes."

"Did it have any feathers?" Mat waited for the answer with baited breath.

"No," Derek answered simply, putting a hand to his mouth. The poor guy really was going to be sick.

"Let me take you to the bathroom." Mat put an arm around the other man to guide him. Derek shook his head fast. No way was he ever going back in there!

"What color were the eyes?" Miranda asked, already almost sure of the answer, but wanting to be certain.

"A bright violet," Derek said between his fingers. Yep, Miranda had thought right. She couldn't help a small grin. Mat didn't miss this.

"Come on, I won't let anything happen to you," he promised to Derek as he tugged his friend to the bathroom.

**-.-**

"What do you think you're doing!" Satoshi hissed from the roof. Dark glanced up at him and snorted.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" He moved from by the bedroom's window, following the back of the shack while listening to the thin trail of voices inside.

"You're endangering all of us!"

"No, I'm scaring the shit out of Miranda's captors. Know any good scary movie references?"

Satoshi ignored the question, settling instead for giving the kaito a very disgruntled look.

"Whatever," Dark sniffed, then frowned, looking the direction in which the bathroom lay. "Someone's throwing up in there."

"Thanks for the unnecessary info," Satoshi griped.

"You're welcome." Dark bowed, knowing he was being annoying. Satoshi balled his fist and had to look away or he was going to lose his temper.

"What is your goal here, Dark?" the teen asked mildly.

The black angel made a show of thinking. "I'm going to make them willingly hand Miranda over," he finally answered.

"If you're not careful, you might just find yourself eating a bullet. I can almost guarantee Mat has a real gun in that shack somewhere."

Dark waved off the warning. With a grin he shadowed and disappeared. Satoshi felt like holding his breath. They were treading dangerous waters here.

**-.-**

"This whole mess has started because you brought me here, Mat. Why don't you just let me go?" Miranda hoped to play on Derek's fear of her being cursed, or maybe the appropriate term was haunted. Said man almost ran for the bathroom again.

"I'm not giving you up that easily," Mat announced. Miranda huffed dejectedly on the couch. An inhuman roar suddenly shook the entire place, making it seem as if the whole shack could collapse. It elicited screams from two, and froze one where he stood. Something shattered to pieces in the bedroom. Little ceramic clinks hit all over the floor.

Mat forced his feet to carry him from the main room to the bedroom.

"MAT! JUST LET MIRANDA GO!" Derek cried, hands clinched over his head as if the place was getting bombed.

"NO! SHE'S MINE!" Mat yelled, as he stood before his pitch-black bedroom. He couldn't see anything, so he shakily reached in and flicked on a light. A lamp from his small nightstand appeared to have exploded. The pieces were everywhere. His eyes widened and his mouth ran so dry he couldn't swallow. The bedroom door suddenly connected with his face, sending him backward as it booted him away from the room and slammed shut. Mat hollered as he crashed to his back. The light under the bedroom door blinked out, plunging it and whatever lay within back into total darkness.

"MAT!" Derek raced for his fallen partner and helped him up. Miranda leaped from the couch, running for the front door. Mat heard her and acted quickly to intercept her.

"Mat! Just let—" Derek started to beg.

"NO!" Mat cut him off with a shout, grabbing Miranda before she could open the shack's door.

"You're such an idiot. What's it gonna take for you?" a deadly voice whispered. Mat turned with Miranda in his arms to where he thought he'd heard the disembodied voice originate from.

"I don't know how you're doing the things you're doing, but you won't win!" Mat declared viciously.

A sudden flash of purple crashed into the wall behind him. It'd looked almost like lightning. But how? Miranda slipped out of his grasp and ran back for the couch with tears in her eyes. Dust from splintered wood tickled Mat's nose.

"So what if you could understand how I'm doing these things? It doesn't mean you'd stand a chance," the voice whispered icily.

"I'm not giving up, Dark!" Mat exclaimed with frustration and temper.

"Ah, darn. You figured it was me," Dark pouted, dropping the scary pretense. Another bit of magic built.

"Mat! Over there!" Derek pointed the little way to a shadowy corner. A tall figure was barely outlined by the light shining in his fingers. Almost immediately Dark released his magic. At the same time, Mat drew his Glock. The black angel had just enough time to register the weapon and dive before the gun went off and put a clean hole through the wall where he'd been standing. Mat did the same for Dark's attack. Even though partially deafened by the gunshot, Miranda's screech was still audible as the two men hit the floor.

Footsteps thudded on top of the roof. Dark picked himself up and went for the nearest window, diving through and shattering it, sending glass sprinkling as he rolled for the ground. Gunfire reported right after, but it wasn't aimed at him. Holes started appearing in the roof, chasing after who was up there. Satoshi ran for it, but the bullets were coming close. Shot after shot rang off. How much ammo could one little handgun hold? It seemed like an unusual amount to the Commander. Satoshi gathered himself for a leap as he came up to the edge, but something caught his foot. Another stuck up nail, maybe? He tripped, falling head-first off the shack. The ground came up fast, and the impact was almost instantaneous.

Dark raced around to the front, hoping that he wouldn't find Satoshi resembling swiss cheese. Instead, he found the blue-haired Tamer sprawled on the ground, barely conscious. The gunfire stopped. Miranda's sobs became the loudest noise around.

Dark ran for the Wing Tamer. Daisuke's utter silence was somewhat more disturbing than the sight of the cross-eyed bluenette trying and failing to get up. Dark gathered the confused-looking Satoshi from under the boy's armpits, and flung him over his shoulder. The black angel made a break for the woods, just as the front door slung open and Mat stepped out with the reloaded Glock.

"DON'T!" Miranda shouted from the inside of the shack. Mat just laughed and fired. Dirt mushroomed up after the thief's heels, but Dark made it to the woods, putting trees and some distance between the madman and himself. Mat cursed loudly, but it didn't seem as if the guy would follow them. Dark was thankful for that small mercy as he deposited Satoshi on the leaf strewn ground.

"You okay?" Dark asked the blue-haired teen. Satoshi's head lolled slowly from side-to-side as he gave a small grunt that could've meant either yes or no. His blue eyes stayed distant and didn't focus on anything. They rolled upwards once before he blinked and the whole process started over again.

"Hey." Dark lightly slapped Satoshi's face, trying to rouse any sort of reaction. It didn't do much to help.

**'Could he have a concussion?'** Daisuke asked, voice breaking slightly.

'I doubt it. He probably just got knocked coo-coo.'

"Hey!" Dark slapped Satoshi a bit harder. Blue eyes flared wide and became brighter and more focused. "How many fingers do you see?" Dark asked, holding one before Satoshi's nose.

"I can't tell when it's so close," Satoshi muttered with annoyance.

'See? He's fine.' Dark smiled inwardly. Daisuke just sighed.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N: Thank you guys for all your reviews last chapter! **

**Special note to Dawns Eternal Twilight: The slippery yellow objects will come next chapter! Promise!**

**Also, I was not being racist by Dark's joke earlier. As a mutt, racism is pointless to me. It's also one of mankind's greatest shows of stupidity.**


	18. Chapter 18

**-****)*(****-**

Miranda was still crying as Mat slammed the front door shut in a fit of frustration. It caused the whole shack to shake. Every one of his bullets had missed and he was pissed that he didn't get to hear Dark scream in bloody agony. The phantom thief had well and truly crossed the line when he'd had the nerve to enter his domain _and_ _attack_. "Derek! It's time to bring out the heavy guns! Go make sure the shack is secure while I get some weapons ready!" Mat demanded.

"Enough already! They won't be back!" Miranda half yelled, half sobbed.

"Bullshit!" Mat spat, whirling to face her direction with intensifying anger. "They're not normal! And they're very interested in you!"

"Mat, you know I hate killing. Couldn't we do this in a nonlethal way?" Derek asked meekly. He knew he was treading dangerous waters arguing back. Mat was already riled up.

"Dark shot some weird crap at me first! I'm just defending myself! Go check the place; that's all I'm asking!"

"Going!" Derek rushed out for their bedroom first. Miranda threw her head into the couch's cushions, praying that this mess would end soon. "Ooh! Bananas!" Derek exclaimed from the bedroom a few moments later. Miranda lifted to peer over the couch's arm questioningly, catching Mat pausing in his rummaging in one of the kitchen's cabinets. He threw her a look over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow in a confused expression of his own.

**-.-**

The woods were nearly pitch black except for where the moonlight shown through in rare patches. In one of these imperfect circles of light a voice originated. "Are you better yet?" Dark asked grumpily to Satoshi, whom was sitting cross-legged on the ground, still holding his hurting head.

**'Dark!'** Daisuke admonished. The kaito could be so insensitive and impatient sometimes...erm...most times.

'We need to speed things up a bit!' the kaito defended.

Satoshi straightened some and removed his hand from his short, tousled hair, giving his fingers a quick, discrete glance before rubbing them unto his borrowed sweatpants. The fabric was as good as ruined anyway.

"This delay is the consequence of your actions. If you had acted with more intelligence and brought much more foresight to the situation, then we could have more than likely rescued Miranda by now and been done with this mess!" Satoshi rarely showed his temper, but he was clearly more than a little upset as each word steadily became louder and harsher.

Dark nonchalantly leaned on a nearby tree, crossing his arms as he stared down at the highly irritated Wing Tamer. "Don't go blaming everything on me. If this was a consequence of my actions, I'd make sure to do it more often just to land you flat on your ass."

Satoshi grumbled a few choice words under his breath before reining his temper back and attempting to force himself calmer, however, when he glanced at Dark, his eyes were piercing. "I'm glad you're not on the Force. I'd hate to have the unfortunate luck of having you possibly assigned as my partner."

"Break my heart, why don't you?" Dark sniffed with annoyance. "Look, just haul your delicate self up and let's get a move on. I need you for something I have in mind." Dark used one shoulder to smoothly push off his tree. He walked, effortlessly weaving back through the woods, not bothering to look behind him to see if Satoshi was getting up, or able to follow him.

**'Dark, you really can be a jerk!'**

'I've had my fill of things going wrong and the ensuing whining because of it!'

Satoshi growled low under his breath. Wasting no more time, he rolled to his hands and knees. His skull gave a sharp rebellious streak of pain. He tried to ignore it and stand, but before he'd even straighten to his full height he knew he'd made a mistake. He grabbed his head as his vision went completely blurry. Suddenly the earth seemed to rotate from under his feet and he found himself stumbling sideways. He stretched an arm out, hoping to catch himself on one of the many surrounding trees, but of course there was no such luck for him. He continued stumbling, right onto a slight decline. He lost his balance and red and brown leaves flew up like party confetti.

The resulting soft thud and light crunch made Dark look back. He craned his neck to and fro, trying to view passed some of the blocking trees, but could only see scattered leaves raining down. With an impatient 'tsk', the kaito made his way to the fluttering colors and tiny hill. Really, the little difference in the land couldn't be more than a few inches up or down, depending on which way you faced it. Yet, there was the "Commander", partially buried within a multi-colored tide. What a joke.

Dark's boots crunched the dry debris as he walked over and knelt in front of Satoshi, ready to embarrass the other for his comical blunder; but he stopped short upon noticing the blue-haired Tamer out cold. "What?" was all Dark could say. Satoshi had seemed fine a minute ago. Besides that, the fall he'd taken off the shack wasn't from a very great height.

**'He must have a concussion! He probably needs immediate care!'**

"Daisuke," Dark said in exasperation. The kaito then blew out a frustrated breath. His Tamer always did take things to the extreme.

Dark shook his head, then glanced back down to the Wing Tamer, lifting him partway up by his collar. "Oi! Wake up!" He gave the blue-haired teen a little shake, causing Satoshi's head to nod on his shoulders. Daisuke whimpered at the lack of concern, and just as Dark was about to criticize him for it, both froze at the sight of red trickling passed blue.

Purple eyes widened. "I didn't know he was bleeding. Maybe he _is_ hurt." Dark suddenly cringed from a barrage of incensed words pelting his consciousness. The spitted ire and fury was laced with barbs concerning his treatment of a hurt "victim". One "I told you so" was even thrown in the barrage somewhere. He wasn't sure exactly when it was said, as everything was somehow said at once and his brain was having trouble processing the jumble.

"Calm down! I'll handle this!" he assured his Tamer, as he laid Satoshi gently back in the leaves.

**'You've been doing a mighty fine job of that so far, haven't you?'**

Dark didn't bother retaliating with what would only be an outright lie. Instead he tilted Satoshi's head to expose the boy's left temple. From there he traced the running drop of blood through the hair until he found its source—a dot of skin was scraped off. It was accompanied by one hell of a goose egg.

"As I've said before, I don't know much about what to do when someone clonks, but considering that the little Commander here lost consciousness _after_ some head trauma, I'd say he does need a check-up."

**'What if his brain is swelling? What are we going to do?'**

Dark rubbed a hand on the back of his head. "Well, this seriously puts a damper on my plans. Satoshi will just have to wait out here until we rescue Miranda. We came on a mission, after all, and I don't think he'd be happy to wake up in a hospital bed to find out that we ditched before completing it."

A moan and shuffling of leaves gathered both Dark and Daisuke's attention.

"I'm okay," Satoshi said weakly, in a very unconvincing way. Had he somehow managed to understand some of their conversation while coming to, or just guessed at it? Was he even thinking coherently at all?

"Are you really?" Dark asked, with a tilt of his head. Disbelief was written all over his features.

"No, head hurts," the bluenette responded, with eyes scrunched tightly shut. A vein throbbed on a purple temple.

"Make up your mind! We need you. Providing you don't screw anything up in your condition."

"You asked, I was just being honest." Clouded azure eyes opened and lifted to Dark's. "And don't gripe at me about screwing things up. Don't expect me to feel guilty over _your _mistake—I'm in no mood to deal with you." Blue eyes suddenly cleared and looked dangerous.

"Are you PMSing?" Dark asked. Usually only Emiko on a bad day could make cold shivers run up his spine. Well, her _and_ Krad.

"If a guy can go through PMS, then I suggest you back away from me."

Dark's eyes went wide.

Fifteen Minutes Later - 

They were back in a patch of moonlight. Both were currently sitting cross-legged, side-by-side with their heads in their hands. "Are you better yet?" Dark asked Satoshi grumpily.

"God! You're such a pest!" Gold flashed as Satoshi swung the back of his left fist around. Dark dodged by leaning backwards. He then rolled quickly to get up and away from Satoshi's immediate reach. "How many times have you asked that?" Azure swirled back into the twin golden orbs as their shine quickly receded. Satoshi clinched his still lifted fist tighter. He himself had wanted the blow to land. Even Daisuke should be able to agree that a moment of pain would be worth it to teach the thief when to back off.

Dark grinned, chuckling. "Okay, now try standing up. I don't need you to do much for my plan to work, so you don't have to worry."

"Just what is this plan? You have yet to explain anything to me," Satoshi pointed out with gritted teeth. He finally unfurled his fist in trade to hold his aching head again. He didn't know what was going on inside his skull, but it felt like it might explode.

"We know that they have a four-wheeler, so you simply wait on that and be ready to pull it around to wherever I exit the shack from. Do that and then I'll drive us into the nearest town, leaving the other two stranded."

"No," Satoshi said, right off the bat.

Dark frowned and put his hands on his hips. "What did you find flawed about my plan, oh wise-ass Commander?"

Satoshi gathered his feet underneath him and managed to stand upright, albeit wobbly. He soon hunched over, taking hold of his knees as things tried to spin on him again, but it wasn't quite so disorienting this time.

"The flaws with your plan are obvious." Satoshi tilted his head to lock an eye on Dark. "First of all, do we know without a doubt that the four-wheeler is their _only _means of transportation?"

Dark's brows knitted angrily together. "Of course! I observed that fact when we first arrived."

"Secondly," the blue-haired teen said, as he slowly straightened again, "have you checked to make sure that the four-wheeler is in good condition and has plenty of fuel in its tank?"

"I was going to check before we made our move," Dark said truthfully. "Do you think I'm an amateur at these type of things?"

"Okay, then," Satoshi continued, after Dark finished huffing and puffing, "did you consider that a four-wheeler with three people on it would be extremely slow? If the four-wheeler does end up meeting our needs, picking you up near where you exit from will give them too much time to fire at us as we try to get away." Dark's ever increasing irked expression suddenly faltered as he crossed his arms.

"I've never driven a four-wheeler, so I'm not too sure what they are capable of."

"That doesn't excuse lack of knowledge, nor would it be enough to save us if we were getting shot at."

"Point taken," Dark acknowledged sourly. "So, we quietly push the contraption just out of sight down the dirt road, and you be ready to crank it as I run out with Miranda."

"And therein lies another problem. How will I start the engine with no key?"

"Have you never hot-wired before?"

"No, I haven't, but I should be able to figure it out if you give me a few minutes," Satoshi said, with just a hint of a devious grin.

"Or I could just show you myself and save you the trouble."

"That...would be appreciated..."

Within the next five minutes the two were hiding behind the trees before the shack. The entire area was incredibly quiet.

"We need to scout and find where in the shack they all are. Also, one of us needs to stay by the window nearest the four-wheeler and be ready with a signal if someone starts to come near. It's parked directly behind, already pointing to the dirt road, but even so there will be a period of open exposure," Dark announced in a very low whisper. He wasn't taking any chances of being overheard this time around, even though the shack was a good distance away. "I suggest you be the one to stay by the window since you're still a little tipsy. If our cover gets blown, stay low and head for the woods again. How good are you with bird calls?" The outline that was Dark moved to look down at the bluenette.

"I've never tried animal calls," Satoshi admitted, blinking up at the kaito. Dark face-palmed.

"You had a seriously screwed up childhood."

"I don't see where—" Satoshi began.

"A pigeon is very easy to imitate," Dark interrupted, "so let's go with that. Try copying one for me."

"Are you kidding me? A pigeon is a day bird. Why not imitate an owl?" Satoshi glanced to the front again, taking a hand to rub over his aching forehead. Was the splitting headache never going to ease?

"Because an owl will be nowhere near here after those gunshots earlier." Purple locks swayed in the breeze that came rustling the branches of trees.

"Then a pigeon shouldn't be, either," Satoshi argued.

"Don't be so sure. Pigeons are freaking hard to keep away."

"But there are no pigeons here," Satoshi informed. Dark gave a droll look that went unseen in the shadows.

"Just be a pigeon! I won't have to worry about getting you mixed up with the real thing, then!"

"If they notice—"

"Shut up! Just, shut up!" Dark snapped. He didn't give the lightly snickering teen any chance to respond as he shadowed and raced along to the shack, peering cautiously into every window. He quickly found them all in the main room, but continued with a complete go-around to check for anything additional that might be set with them in mind. Seeing nothing new, aside from the double-barrel 12 gauge shotgun in Mat's hands, he quickly went to the right side of the structure and waved Satoshi over.

The bluenette rose and made his way over as swiftly as he could. He was at Dark's side in under fifteen seconds, although Dark noticed the way Satoshi had come close to falling once. Dark pointed to inform of everyone's location inside before the two carefully made their way to the very back.

Dark stepped beside the only window there, where Satoshi would be keeping lookout. The kaito turned to face the bluenette, whom was a mere few inches away. He wanted to whisper something, but gasped as he slipped. Satoshi immediately jerked from some unseen object smacking him on the cheek.

Dark managed to miss crashing back against the shack by twisting, but he fell heavily on his hip. It wasn't nothing he couldn't get over though, especially after seeing Satoshi—out of the corner of his eye—getting struck by a peeled banana across his cheek. His gut squeezed and he had to hug himself on the ground to keep from laughing.

"I didn't know it was possible for that to actually happen," Satoshi whispered as he wiped at the sticky residue on his cheek. Dark glanced at his boots and saw a bright yellow peel stuck on the tip of one of them. So, he'd stepped on a banana and caused the fruit to shoot out and wallop Satoshi's face? He lay the back of his head on the ground and prayed his laughter would stay silent. Jerking, with tears forming, he was going to bust a gut and die. There was no doubt about it.

"It's rare to see the Phantom Thief on the flat of his back," Satoshi mocked.

"S-s-sh-shut up! That was p-priceless! And you're ruining the moment!"

"Keep your voice down!"

"I-I am!" Dark hissed in-between another bout of painful laughter. Finally collecting himself somewhat, Dark made to stand, being cautious to stand up on the right side of the window and not directly in front of it—only to be blindsided by a banana being rammed into his left ear.

"Gack!" He cringed, throwing a hand up to knock the soft stick of fruit out. He retreated down the back of the shack, scooping goop out of his outer ear canal all the while. Briskly turning around, Dark took long strides and ducked back under the window, grabbing Satoshi by his collar once he straightened. The blue-haired teen appeared taken by surprise as his eyes abruptly widened and his mouth came partially opened. Dark was taken slightly aback as one of those eyes was shining pure gold.

"Okay, which one of you did it?" Purple looked to gold, and then blue.

"I plead the fifth."

"What does it matter?" came Krad's English accent and Satoshi's face twisted into a scowl.

"It doesn't really. To hit one means I hit both, and that's good, seeing as how it was a _team_ effort!" Dark hissed vehemently. Instead of hitting, however, he let Satoshi drop back to his feet. "We're wasting time," Dark said with disgust, as he rushed for their target.

"Well, are you not being mature?" Krad whispered.

"Unlike you," Dark whispered over his shoulder before moving out of earshot.

"_Touché._" Satoshi shrugged and blinked, his gold eye returning to normal. He leaned to the side of the window and snuck a quick peek in. He nearly suffered a heart attack. Mat's dark brown gaze locked on him and a double-barrel swiveled to point at his chest from beyond the wall. Mat's lips moved. "_Stay quiet_," he'd said. Satoshi could lipread well enough.

What to do? The Wing Tamer didn't trust dodging with Mat so readily willing to shoot into the thin wooden wall, especially at this close of a range.

A shadow parting from the side of the shack caught Satoshi's eye. He stole a quick glance and saw Derek carrying a thin object of some sort, sneaking toward Dark's exposed back. The kaito was reaching out for the four-wheeler.

"Behind you!" Satoshi couldn't keep back a yell of warning. Immediately he dived for the ground as a single shot exploded, shattering glass and ripping through wood in one quick blast. Dark turned at the incredible sound of the ruckus, seeing Derek starting to charge at him with a bat lifted high. He came swiftly, swinging downward, aiming for Dark's head.

Dark took a quick step back, then forward before Derek could lift the weapon for another strike, placing a heavy hand down on the wooden instrument. The tip of it sank into the ground. Luminous, half-lidded amethyst shined dangerously over to Derek, and the man nearly dropped the makeshift weapon then and there. He tried to pull the bat back up, but couldn't lift it for the life of him. It was as if it weighed a ton; he could barely move it at all! Panicking, Derek pulled up on the bat desperately. With a somewhat evil smile, Dark let the thing go.

_CRACK! THUD!_

Derek knocked himself out. One problem taken care of.

"Derek! Why you—DON'T MOVE!" Mat yelled harshly. He now stood on the outside with them, having stepped through what remained of the blasted window. A barrel shoved under a soft jaw threateningly. Twin rings of shimmering purple took in the sight of the cut and battered bluenette lying on the ground. Satoshi looked shockingly white in the face, but his expression was livid as he looked up at Mat. Dark paused, considering all possible options. With reluctance he lifted his hands up in a distinct manner of surrender. Mat grinned and walked passed Satoshi some, still keeping careful aim on the boy as he reached behind him.

"This is scatter-shot, so I won't miss if I fire this time. Take this rope and tie up your friend here. Do it right, or I'll shoot both of you." A small roll of rope fell at the thief's feet.

"Not this again!" Dark complained.

"Put a lid on it and hurry up!" Evidently Mat held very little patience at the moment.

"All right, all right." Dark bent to retrieve the rope.

"And you," Mat said, regarding Satoshi, "sit up and put your hands behind you." Satoshi moved to do as asked with his back facing Mat. He winced as he put his arms behind him. One wrist seemed to be bleeding rather badly. Considering the circumstances, it was a wonder the teen wasn't worse for wear. Dark moved up beside him and knelt, grabbing both of Satoshi's thin limbs and roughly restraining them. The bluenette gasped at the handling.

"It's your fault we got captured," Dark spoke, voice full of blame.

Azure eyes cut the night as they turned to pierce the thief, but whatever they saw in the expression there toned the fires down considerably. Satoshi then retorted, "I'm not the one who couldn't keep quiet."

"Oh, yeah? Well, who hit me with a banana?" Dark tied the ropes a little bit tighter than necessary. Satoshi flinched and hissed through his teeth.

"You lousy thief!" Satoshi spat the words at the kaito with venom.

"Enough fighting you two. Those ropes are bound good enough, Dark. You can back away from him."

A staring contest filled with animosity seemed to be going on between the two supposed allies. Dark dropped his gaze first, getting up to stand a few feet away from the tense teen.

"So, now that you've caught us, what are you going to do?" Dark asked Mat levelly.

"First—Satoshi, is it?" Mat asked, looking down at the teen turning back to peer at him. Once Satoshi nodded curtly, Mat continued, "Satoshi is going to wait inside. I want to question him about a few things. You, Dark, are going to stay outside here with me."

"Fun," Dark remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"How about taking this seriously? I could shoot you."

"All right. Sorry," Dark said, sounding anything but. Satoshi faced back around to the shack before taking the privilege of rolling his eyes. That's when he became aware of something. Miranda hadn't screamed and wasn't crying, unlike the last time a shot had rung off. She wasn't making any noise at all, in fact. He glanced through the broken wall—the shotgun had really torn a nice-sized chunk out of it—and didn't see her in the main room, nor in what little he could see of the kitchen. _She must be tied and gaged. Presumably in the bedroom closet,_ he thought. Less chance of her getting in the way there, or possibly finding something to get loose with.

"Weasel through the broken window there, little man," Mat spoke, gaining Satoshi's attention, though he stayed facing the shack. "I'll be in there for you soon."

_Would telling him I'm a police Commander strike fear into him? Or would he just kill me for sure then? _Satoshi wondered, as the moon's light glared off his slightly crooked glasses.

As Satoshi got up to make his way inside, Dark ran a hand through his hair. "What's with you and the need to control so much? Bondage, tranquilizers, guns; it's all overkill, isn't it?" He closed his eyes and tilted his head up toward the night sky. It appeared as if he was bathing where he stood in the moon's light. He shook his hair, making the locks glisten with the light as if wet. Dark opened a single eye to look at Mat, keeping the other all the way closed. Mat didn't fail to notice how the light highlighted Dark's cheeks, and how it showed off his sharp nose, and how it played in his bright eye, and how it flowed around the the curve of his chin...

Mat shook himself. _He's tempting me!_ _I won't fall for it!_ The situation could make Mat weep. There was a playboy in front of him and he couldn't enjoy it..._him_, rather.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about out here...with a gun pointed at me?" Dark stretched, then put both hands behind his head in a very relaxed display. Favor was on his side with the Wing Tamer inside the shack. With Satoshi out of immediate sight, he could chance shadowing and get behind the creep to take him out. However, the split second it took to shadow and move would prove the most dangerous. It would be the clincher—the decider of the victor for this battle.

"Nothing much. I really just want to shoot you without interference. What has you so interested in Miranda?" Dark gave Mat a peculiar expression.

"You expect me to answer that when you'll shoot me afterward?"

"I could shoot you now," Mat offered, raising the 12 gauge from its position by his hip a fraction. Dark sweat-dropped.

"It's just wrong to force someone to do so much against their will, you know? You need morals, man."

"Is that all?" Mat asked, clearly not caring about morals, or his lack thereof. He'd heard it all before.

"Ass wipe," Dark muttered.

"What?"

"Um...I do like her...as a friend. Miranda seems like an okay person. Crazy as hell, but I can respect that quality in an individual."

"You seem pretty interesting yourself," Mat declared.

"...Thank you?" Dark wasn't sure if Mat was complimenting, or making a come on. Either one wasn't exactly welcomed from the guy.

"How did you make that purple lightning stuff?" Mat asked.

"Easy," Dark said, "but if I show you, you'll kill me."

"Why is that?"

"Because if I go to do it, you'll tighten your grip on that trigger. It's just that scary." Dark raised a booted foot to scratch a sweatpants-clad shin.

"Don't play around, just show me. I don't believe in fairy tales," Mat huffed.

"Do you believe in angels, then?" Dark asked with a smirk, but his eyes were serious.

"...Yes," Mat hesitated. _I do now, anyway._ "But, you're no angel."

"True enough. My point is, I'm not exactly of this world."

"Would you like a dose of reality?" Mat made a show of aiming the shotgun. "I told you to be serious."

"Whoa, okay! I'll show you. Just point the gun down first." Dark appeared genuinely worried.

"You must think I'm stupid." Mat didn't lower the weapon in the least.

"Yep," Dark muttered.

"What?"

"Um...could you take your finger off the trigger, then? You can keep it aimed, if you like."

"Fine," Mat relinquished. Once his finger was safely moved, Dark started building his magic.

'I know you're close to pushing the limit with magics today, Dai, but just bear with me a little more.'

**'I'm fine, Dark,'** Daisuke said, but stress played in the words, lowing their ability to reassure by a great deal.

Dark focused on manipulating the shadows, readying them to instantly seize the perfect moment in which to wrap them around himself. He also brought a minuscule amount of raw magic into his right hand. He blew out a breath, preparing for the distraction he was about to execute. He'd only get one chance at this. If he screwed up, then him and Daisuke were dead. End of story.

Dark's purple spikes danced in the breeze and he shut his eyes. He forced the accumulating tension to leave his shoulders. Shining amethyst opened to glance at Mat. Dark smiled widely. It caused Mat's breathing to hitch and the hair on his neck to stand. The creature before him didn't look completely human—not with the glowing purple zigzagging between his fingers.

Mat's finger zoomed back to the trigger. Amethyst orbs narrowed an instant before there was a bright flash. Disoriented, Mat fired. Wood cracked as the shot tore through part of the shack. A strangled holler more than suggested that at least some of the scatter-shot had found its mark.

Mat blinked, his vision having trouble adjusting back to the dead of night. Dark wasn't in front of him anymore. The man spun on his heels. Dark wasn't behind him, either. Where was the...thing?

"Can't be...from another world..." Mat's hands shook as he quickly jammed another couple of bullets into his shotgun.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N:**** Late again, I know. But thanks to setina (which I thank for the reviews!) I looked back on a past chapter to refresh myself on what it was about and...saw a mistake right away. So, I've taken the liberty to check over all of my stories (still working on Genes) and fix them. If anyone spots a mistake they have my permission to send me an e-smack. Of course, if you choose to do this, please tell me of my error. I'd hate to get e-smacked and not know why I just received digital abuse.**

**I truly appreciate every review. This chapter was cut from 30 pages down to 15, so the next chapter is already nearly finished. I'm right on the tail end of it, and I tell you now that Krad is an ASS, but he'll make up for it. You'll get to see how faster if I get some demands for it. Tell me what you want! Don't be shy of the little button down there. FF19 is out!**


	19. Chapter 19

**-****)*(****-**

"S-satoshi," Dark whispered, giving a slight grunt. A single exposed light bulb hung loosely from the wooden ceiling within the main room. The shadows were torn from his form as he entered through the front door. Satoshi's blue hair became visible out of the bedroom doorway across from the kitchen. Azure eyes quickly noticed the way Dark was hunched over and pressing a firm hand against his right side. The phantom thief shuffled his way over to the teen.

"You're hurt," Satoshi whispered, once the thief was close.

"I'm lucky—it's nothing serious. I see you managed to get out of my handiwork. How come you and Miranda haven't tried escaping into the woods yet?"

"Of course I got out of the bindings. All that fuss we made kept him from noticing that little trick you used in the knot. You practically put the end of the rope in my hands, and pulling on it undid the entire thing. As for why I don't have Miranda out of here, she is currently on the bed, sedated."

"You can't carry her?" Dark's tone leaned toward skepticism, although his expression was half begging. He really didn't want to be the one carrying Miranda, but she was a fully grown woman. It made sense that Satoshi couldn't carry her, especially after his head and wrist injury. Dark caught sight of the makeshift tourniquet on the Tamer's limb. Blood splotches already dotted the tied dishcloth.

"I've tried...with mixed results..." Satoshi didn't seem too pleased with himself.

"What does that—" Dark stopped short as a yell from outside carried strongly into the damaged shack:

"Dark! I _will_ find you! And when I do, your ass is dead!" The two then heard him try to rouse Derek, but the other man wasn't getting up any time soon.

"It means... Just look at the bed." Satoshi sighed.

Dark did. Miranda, with her bindings off, had her forehead almost touching the floor. One leg was crooked over the side with her, leaving very little actually on top of the bed. It was a wonder she hadn't slid off already. Dark held back a chuckle and faced Satoshi again.

"Why don't you get Krad out here?"

"I've tried, but he keeps backing off from the transformation. The injury to my head is stopping him." Something about Satoshi's tone warned the kaito he was being lied to, but he played along with it. It wasn't like he couldn't understand the Tamer's reluctance involving his curse. According to the boy earlier, Krad had been about to snap on their enemies. Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing since Mat was after blood as well. It could be survival of the fittest, but Dark wasn't going to force Satoshi to change. What if the injury _was_ presenting a problem? The bluenette could end up seriously harmed.

"Pathetic," Dark announced lightly, then grimaced and clutched his side tighter. Satoshi narrowed his eyes, glancing at the shaking, slightly bent fingers and the still-white t-shirt surrounding them.

"Just how hurt are you? I'm not seeing any blood."

"Funny you should mention that. I held residue magic in my hand and it did something funny when I first grabbed my side. The pellet is still lodged in there, though. We don't have a lot of time, so let's hurry here," said the kaito, as way of keeping on task. He also didn't feel like discussing his accident.

"Right. Dark, if you can go with Miranda, I'll provide a little distraction to give you more lead way," Satoshi offered. "I doubt that you'll be able to move very fast carrying her."

"I don't like that idea, seeing as you're still a little loopy," the thief disagreed.

"Huh?"

"It's in your eyes. I can tell."

Azure eyes looked crossed by a tiny fraction. "I'm only suffering from a slight case of double vision," Satoshi lied. _And a massive migraine..._

Dark didn't like the Wing Tamer facing Mat with a handicap.

"Still, I don't—"

"I appreciate the concern," Satoshi said, while giving a tiny forced smile, "but you're the only one that can get Miranda out of here. We really don't have much choice in the matter."

"Look, you—… Oh, fine! It's not like I care!" Dark marched over to the bed, avoiding the window. Kneeling, he reached for Miranda, positioning her torso over his left shoulder so as to not strain his right side more than necessary. The added weight still put stress on the wound. He nearly dropped to both knees before slowly rising. With a look of determination, he straightened his shoulders. Cautiously, but quickly, they headed out the bedroom door. A pause and a quick scan showed that Mat was not yet back inside the shack. The vile man must be looking for him on the outside. Obviously not the sharpest knife in the bunch. Or maybe he'd thought Dark was so cowardly as to run off for his life. Dark was seriously considering taking this as a personal insult.

"Mat has two shots in his double-barrel. Can you get him to fire those off? You can do some magic on your own, right? Keep him looking the other way," Dark whispered, panting slightly. Sweat was hastily gathering on his brow and his skin was blanching. Satoshi was really starting to worry for him. Just because he couldn't see the blood—thanks to magic—didn't mean Dark wasn't bleeding internally. And if so, who knew by how much? For all of their sakes Satoshi kept focused on the task at hand.

"Right. First we need to locate Mat's position."

"Of course. We need to know where it's safest to escape from. Just make it quick," Dark pleaded. Satoshi's worry grew.

The bluenette quickly snuck to the shallow sink in the kitchen, lifting to peer from the small window above it. Seeing nothing moving outside, he moved on to the main room. In every wall a window was stationed, two of which were broken—being either the victim of Dark's earlier escapade, or Mat's shotgun. Satoshi found their target out from the side of the shack, courtesy of the window Dark had destroyed. Mat was at the beginning of the trees, throwing nervous glances every which-a-way. It would be hard to distract him without being caught at it.

Satoshi lowered to his knees, uncaring of the sprinkles of glass against his sweatpants and threw Dark a look. He pointed, revealing Mat's location to the kaito. Dark nodded from the kitchen and headed back for the bedroom. The window there would provide the best point of escape to the haven of the woods.

Satoshi looked to his hand and rubbed his thumb over his middle and index fingers. A white feather appeared there. It took effort, along with more than one chant as he goofed the first thanks to stuttering over the power, but he got the feather to radiate a tiny amount of light. Satoshi waited to see if Mat would move any time soon. When the man started walking along the perimeter, Satoshi rose and flicked his uninjured wrist, quickly ducking back under the window.

Even with the bluenette's cross-eyed aim the feather seemed to know what to do. The thing sailed by Mat's feet and imploded just enough to make a loud snap. Scared out of his wits, Mat jumped a mile. When he came back down to Earth, the first thing he did was shoot by his feet. Fortunately (for him) he missed blowing off his toes. The scatter-shot couldn't properly spread out due to the barrel having been aimed too close to the ground.

_One shot taken_, the Tamer counted. _Better go ahead and get him to fire the other one. One noise from Dark could lead to him blindly shooting through the woods in his panicked state. _Repeating the process for the feather and magic, Satoshi tried to figure the timing of Mat's gazes. They were chaotic. The man had become even more nervous now, throwing looks everywhere into the woods and over the yard.

Finding an almost stable pattern, Satoshi lifted to flick the feather again. By chance Mat casted a wild glance. Catching movement out from the side of his vision, the man turned, lifting his shotgun in one smooth motion. Satoshi's grip on his own weapon tightened. The teen turned on his heel and ran. The feather snapped between his fingers and lost its weak light. A shot rang out. Satoshi dived for the floor. With Mat's distance, just how many wide spread pellets would make it through the shack's walls? How many would tear through his body?

A shadow from the corner gained weight and moved, stomping to stand directly over him. Black flight feathers brushed the teenager's face. Satoshi looked up as a powerful barrier hummed to life, encircling them as Dark raised a long obsidian feather and chanted. Wings ruffled agitatedly as Dark's voice blurred into another language. Though strong power radiated out from the curtly spoken words, his tone stayed matched and even. Dark was a powerhouse! Satoshi felt a split-second of humility before a lead hailstorm rained in. The destructive force fell short against the impressive translucent barrier. Flattened pellets fell off to rest among the glass and splinter-covered floor.

Satoshi rolled to his side, barely hitting a lean leg with his shoulder blades. Dark nearly collapsed down on top of him, causing the barrier to sputter and die in the moment of distraction. It let a draft blow the scent of ruined wood and dust to his nose.

Dark lifted a leg to move away from Satoshi, but stumbled into the nearest wall and slid down it.

"Dark!"

"No...more," the phantom thief panted and scrunched his eyes closed. "I can't...do...any more." Dark's chin fell heavily against his chest. Satoshi hurried over to him and shook the wide shoulders in front of him, ignoring the twinge in his hurt wrist.

"You've overused magic, but while he's reloading we have to get out of here!"

Dark raised his head. "Yeah, I know," he said, miserably tired. He pushed against the floor and wall, his great black wings trying to do the same. Already standing, Satoshi grabbed him and pulled. Footsteps sounded as Mat came running across the yard. Dark took Satoshi's forearm with suddenly renewed vigor, and spun the teen almost harshly to face forward. They began racing the short length of the shack. Satoshi tried to veer for the front door.

"No! Bedroom window!" Dark's grip kept Satoshi with him as they ran passed the open door.

"But Mat's approaching from the side. If we're quick, it would be the easiest and fastest way to escape."

"Just trust me," Dark simply said. That was asking a lot out of Satoshi, and the kaito knew it, but Satoshi was still with him as they made it to the previously opened window of the bedroom.

"Go through!" Dark let his grip on the bluenette go as he threw him forward.

"Damn," Satoshi cursed, practically jumping feet-first through the window. Dark was acting too much like a guardian. He felt like a child being ushered around, but he wasn't going to waste time squabbling about it. Landing, Satoshi took off for the woods. Dark was out an instant later, doing the same. Satoshi briefly considered altering course to align more with the dirt road, but cover was what they needed most at the moment. Their noisy footfalls would be clear to follow in the woods, but at least they would have some protection in there. Maybe they could run a distance, and then safely move to the road if they got far enough away.

More glass broke, then feet were thudding through the shack where they'd just been. Dark and Satoshi were a few yards from the tree line when another shot finally rang out. A black wing extended, knocking Satoshi off his feet and flat on the ground. Dark's breath puffed out as the kaito landed beside him an instant later. Pellets pinged, marking the trees in front of them.

"Up!" Dark yelled, hauling Satoshi up underneath one of his shoulders. It was incredible how fast the thief was in regaining his step. "Not much further. We're sitting ducks if we stay on the ground!"

Satoshi let himself be practically dragged until he could get his feet working properly underneath him again. It was almost too much—he felt like they were coming close to flying over the grass. Dark eventually gave him that extra boost by pushing him passed the cover of trees. The second shot of the double-barrel rang out, but a huffing Dark was already nose-diving behind a wall of bark. Pings scattered uselessly throughout the woods.

"Dark, where's Miranda?" Satoshi wasted no time in picking himself off the ground and puffing to the kaito's side. Dark remained face-down in the mixture of leaves and pine straw, his sides heaving. Satoshi could hear him wheezing horribly with each intake of breath. "Dark?" Satoshi questioned, worry for the kaito unintentionally entering his voice. The injury in the thief's side had to be affecting him. How had he barreled across the land like that?

Back at the shack, Mat ranted a stream of curses. From the sounds of his threats, he wasn't going to give up just because they'd entered the woods this time. Mat's prize had been successfully taken this go-around, and with his shotgun out and the two now hurt, Mat was counting on having an unfair advantage, no doubt. Not to mention Miranda, in her state, would be nothing but dead weight to them, dragging them down even further.

An easy victory if he was just a better aim.

"Dark, we have to move..." The bluenette felt something akin to pity stir in his chest for the black angel. The other's skin resembled dry parchment, looking as if withered—sucked dry by the energies of earlier. He hoped Daisuke was doing okay.

Dark finally moved, struggling to his hands and knees as his great wings drooped heavily against the ground on either side of him. They were useless weight, but he didn't have the energy to banish them.

"Miranda's in a clearing...not too far from here...and to the left. It's easy to find...if you fly. Force Krad out...and you three...take off," Dark said, with little breath to spare.

"Are you suggesting we leave without—"

"Yes," Dark interrupted, sounding stronger. He'd caught his breath, albeit he was still on his hands and knees with his head hanging down. "Don't worry. I'll hide up a tree."

"How long do you think you'll be able to hide? Daisuke's body is close to utter exhaustion. Besides, I've told you I can't—" Satoshi was cut short as Dark suddenly lunged. The kaito had great speed and control for someone who was so close to running on empty. He wrapped an arm around the blue-haired Tamer while firmly planting his right palm against the teenager's forehead.

"You either get him out now, or I'll force him out myself," Dark growled into his ear.

"You..." Satoshi didn't know what to say. Magic started to burn his head. Dark wasn't playing around. Satoshi's heart thudded in response. "Don't! You can't trust him!"

"Get him out here!" Dark hissed. Satoshi didn't listen, but struggled within the surprisingly strong hold. Dark growled, his grip on Satoshi's head tightening, making the already pained skull hurt far worse. Satoshi cried out as a flood of heat turned to ice inside his veins. The part of him that was Krad reacted, aggravated at his other's unmistakable signature flowing through so forcefully. The icy touch boiled back into heat, and Satoshi's heart thudded harder. Sharp pains began lacing the organ, but that was nothing compared to the torrent now threatening to split his skull open. His cry became a howl of agony as his vision blurred and turned grey. He wasn't fully sure if the concussion was disrupting with the induced transformation, or if tears were clouding his sight.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dark abruptly let go and the earth tilted as he fell. He wrapped his arms around his head, feeling like biting something the pain there was so bad. Familiar wings pushed to get out of his back. His mouth opened into another scream, but this one stayed silent. Satoshi had had all he could stand. The bluenette's consciousness drew blank and Krad slowly emerged. His expression showed suffering as he remained still on the ground. White wings thumped the ground once.

"Krad, you need to get out of here," Dark said, forcing most of the words passed his lips as he curled in on himself from the ground. "You heard where Miranda's located, right? I'm sure that screaming won't have Mat reconsidering coming for us for long."

Krad rose, grabbing his skull—which felt mildly better since his release—and gazed angrily at his other self. Dark was on his left side, knees drawn up, holding his abdomen with his wings pressed so tightly against his back that they were shaking. "You have some nerve calling me out that way," Krad barked. "You are drained to the point where the magical energy recoils on itself. I am glad to see you suffering for your impudence."

"Forgive me...I didn't have a less intrusive doorbell for this occasion," Dark joked, giving a horrible grimace. "You're the one who couldn't come out on his own on account of a little headache."

"Since you have a death wish, I think I will oblige you before going home," Krad said, with a distinct curl of his lips. His demeanor then switched. Krad went from being highly annoyed at, to clearly relishing the situation. "This is just what I have wanted to see: You on the ground, helpless," he said, with malignancy alighting his angular features.

Krad suddenly lashed out with a boot, catching Dark hard across the face. Dark felt his jawbone shatter even as his bottom lip split clean in half. The force sent him to his painful right side. Blood poured from his face to the ground, creating a small, rusty-smelling puddle.

Krad strode in front of Dark and reached down, bunching a fist in the other's shirt. He hoisted him up to his feet and held him steady at eye-level.

"Remember, you wanted me here," Krad said, as if it were a taunt. "This is the end of you, Mousy." Slitted yellow eyes narrowed. Amethyst orbs gazed back, dull in their luster. Something flitted through Krad's mind.

_"But Mat's approaching from the side. If we're quick, it would be the easiest and fastest way to escape."_

_ "Just trust me."_

Something twisted within the white angel. He would never admit it, but he _had_ trusted Dark in that moment. This time, Dark had trusted him to carry out part of their mission. Granted he should know that he didn't care for Miranda much, and it would more than likely go ignored, yet...

What did that make of the white angel? Krad growled, frustrated. He'd have never asked himself that before the previous night. Dark's "talk" then had gotten to him in some way. What's worse is Dark may have guessed he would act like this, but the kaito had saved Satoshi and therefore the hunter, anyway. True, it may have been more for Satoshi's sake, but the black angel had shown to Krad—his mortal enemy—a caring side also. And here the white angel was killing the black angel. The timing was not right for this.

"I am...sorry," Krad murmured softly.

_Damn bipolar maniac! If I could talk, I'd—GOD, I HURT! _

Honestly, he'd expected nothing less. Dark's head tilted back as the last of his strength left him. He just did catch sight of the tree tips and starry sky above before closing his eyes wearily. The ground suddenly left his feet as he was flung through the air. Startled, it took him a second to realize Krad still had a hold of him—around his waist this time. Branches cracked passed. One groaned as Krad landed them somewhere high in a tree.

_Should be safe here_, Krad thought, looking down and unable to see the ground for all the night's darkness. Course, if a flashlight happened to shine upward, exposure was questionable...

Dark was quickly passing the point of caring. Blood streamed freely down his chin and neck. Pain and exhaustion were meshing and he felt like he might drift out of his shared body. It was a sure sign that his hold over his form was weakening. Soon Daisuke would be out handling the brunt of their pain. The little redhead was currently in a small corner of their mind, trying not to lash out at the thief for putting him through all this.

_But...it wasn't just my blunder...Dai... _

Many unexpected things had happened. Although, maybe he had approached the situation with the thought of having a little too much fun and not enough caution in mind.

Krad lowered sideways on their sturdy branch, easing the kaito down with him. One of Dark's legs dangled passed one side of it while the other was positioned over one of the white angel's own as they sat. Krad stretched an arm to support under the small of Dark's back while he carefully fixed himself against the tree, finding a thinner branch further down to use as a footrest and a bit of extra security. Black wings and tanned arms splayed as the kaito leaned back with the force gravity. It reminded Krad of a beautifully broken warrior as vermilion color constantly dripped to the faraway ground.

Using his other arm, Krad brought Dark sitting up and leaning toward him. Dark grumbled, his eyes still closed. He just wanted to be somewhere where everything was still. A hand tilted his head up and a pair of warm lips met the underside of his jaw, startling him far worse than the sudden launch into the air had. A loud gargling noise escaped his throat as he twisted and jerked about. The almost shy touch withdrew.

"Shh! This is the only way I can heal you while being up here," Krad tried to soothe. It didn't work.

Omitting the curses, Dark thought chaotically: _Lying narcissist! You want to kiss it and make it better? That sounds like something a mother would do._ Hysterical laughter bounced around inside his head._ I'm going nuts! And...I think I'm going to lose it!_ Dark's early dinner of three sandwiches wasn't agreeing with him all of a sudden.

Warmth spread out into his jaw as Krad...kissed him there again, regardless of the coating metallic taste of blood. Soon the pain radiating from the swelling area was covered by a blanket—a warm, soft blanket. Dark could feel himself slipping under its comfort. It was heaven after all the torment of the last twenty-four or so hours.

Unknown amounts of time flew by this way. The heat finally stopped. The pain that had been in his head and neck, on down from where Derek had slammed him into the mirror, seemed to have disappeared. Dark lazily shifted some, mostly asleep before a pain twinged in his right side. The pellet was still lodged in there somewhere, causing problems only heaven knew about. His white t-shirt gently slid up. Dark barely noticed the lips pressing into the wound there. Another warm blanket engulfed him and he became lost to the world.

Krad slipped a tongue over the slightly puckered flesh. He could sense something small and unnatural underneath the tanned skin, which had recovered from its parchment look thanks to a small transfer of energy. He pressed his teeth over it. Using his magic, he manipulated the body to bring the thing up from within. Whatever it was eventually came to him. He leaned over and spit the thing out.

Krad turned back, looking the limp Dark up and down. "You awake, thief?" he asked. He got no response. Annoyance automatically churned, but he calmed it away.

_Guess it could not be helped_.

Krad stood, heaving the kaito up with him before setting him against the trunk on the branch. "I hope your instincts keep you up here," Krad whispered, as he regarded Dark's sleeping face. The blood was gone, having faded away by the light that had shined while healing. Something bloomed in his chest and he smiled. Krad shook himself right then and there, firmly. "I have repaid you now. Everything goes back to normal after this," the white angel promised, turning away. He spread his wings and burst from the tips of the many trees.

"Now to find that daft woman..." Wind cooled sweat from his skin. Healing was one thing, mending broken bones was on a whole other level, but he felt surprisingly good considering all he'd done.

Krad banked left as a tiny voice spoke within his head. **'Is the pain gone yet?'**

'Most of it is, you little runaway. And I was not even concentrating on healing myself.'

**'Don't say runaway. That title will forever remind me of Mat,' **Satoshi said, ignoring the intended jibe.** 'And yourself? Were you healing someone?'**

'Indeed, I was,' was all the information Krad gave his Wing Tamer. He'd let the boy figure the "whom" out for himself as they searched for Miranda. Process of elimination should prove easy enough.

An opening in a space of trees appeared. Krad flew over, looking down, expecting to see an unconscious Miranda revealed within the moonlight. Nothing was there but leaves and a few pine cones. Maybe Mat had stolen her back? But he hadn't heard him enter the woods, and he was pretty sure with his acute hearing that he would have heard something disturb the nature around them. Krad turned, checking over in the direction of Mat's shack just in case. It was hard to make out details, but two flashlights were moving about in the yard before the trees out there. Mat and Derek were obviously out searching, but apparently they were too scared to cross into the woods.

"Your scream of bloody murder must have frightened them an awful lot," Krad said out loud.

**'I'll have to remember that trick if we ever find ourselves in another situation ****similar to this.'**

"Know there are somethings that you cannot fake," Krad cautioned. "As dimwitted as those two are," the angel indicated the sweeping flashlights, "they knew something was going on with you. Perhaps they thought a wild animal was eating you alive?" Satoshi actually blushed in their consciousness.

**'Did the concussion change your normal personality?'**

"Dear Tamer, I have not changed very much," Krad assured.

**'Don't get me wrong—I'm not complaining.'**

Krad laughed. "No, I do not suppose you are."

A heavy flap of wings made Krad peer over his shoulder. A dirty, leaf-decorated Dark was making his way over to them. His form dragged a little through the air. It made it obvious that the thief was still very much tired, but he looked far better than he previously had, if only a little peeved.

"Dammit, Krad! Couldn't you have left me on a lower branch?" Dark fussed, coming to their side.

"Well, it is nearly Fall."

"Har, har. Bastard. I had the worse nightmare. At least, it had better have been a nightmare." Dark's eyes narrowed accusingly. Krad kept further comments to himself. Satoshi didn't bother to question. He didn't want to know. Fate had decided to clip him out of any awkward moments between the two. Far be it for him to spoil that gift.

"So, where is Miranda?" Krad asked. Dark glanced down and pointed.

"Right th—… Ut-oh." With a worried look on his face the kaito flapped his wings to encircle the area.

_Just what I was afraid of..._ Krad thought.

"She's not there!" Dark flew in ever widening circles, ending up flying around Krad again and again as he searched the surrounding terrain just in case she was close. Krad leaned forward and banked sharply, quickly lowering in altitude. He folded his wings, dropping from a good height in the air in order to keep evidence from scattering as little as possible.

"Back to tracking?" Dark asked, as he hovered from a distance above. Krad didn't answer as he bent to study the ground. It quickly became apparent that Miranda had awoken and walked off by herself. Take that back—staggered off by herself. The sedative apparently was still running its course.

"Silly woman! Didn't she realize to wait!" Krad spoke with agitation. The white angel stood, following some inscrutable trail to the edge of the trees before stopping with a 'tsk'. "I can't see well enough to track through here," he growled.

"I can't track without her falling all over the place. And since she isn't bound anymore..."

Both angels hung their heads.

**'We could call for her,'** Daisuke ventured.

"If we are too loud, then Mat and Derek will come running. We may be in the air, but they have guns."

**'Yeah...'**

'Speaking of, we should stay high and out of easy range.'

A man's yell, followed by multiple gunshots, erupted into the night. Krad kicked off for the sky. The two angels soared high and watched as flashlights jumped all over the oval-shaped yard below.

"Derek!" Mat called worriedly, rushing for his partner. "Derek? …That's just a bird. You disturbed its nest in the trees."

"It attacked me! I thought it might have been something else..."

"Pussy. But that gives me an idea." Even from where they were they could hear the devilish tones enter Mat's words.

"Mat, I'm really not in the mood after all this..."

Dark snickered. Krad looked at him, lost. What had been so funny?

"That's not what I meant. Miranda is an animal lover. Did that nest have chicks in it?" Dark suddenly didn't like where this was going.

"I don't know, Mat! I was too busy getting pelted by a nasty mama bird!"

"Fine! I'll look in the nest!"

"Whatever you've got planned won't work if Miranda's not close," Derek pointed out, hoping to steer him from whatever his intentions were. Mat could have a mean streak sometimes.

"She is. I'm sure of it. I caught a whiff of her feminine scent just a second ago."

_Weird_, everyone—excluding Mat, thought at the same time.

"Ouch! You stupid bird!" Mat said, as he reached high into a tree. "Give me that nest!" Maddened bird cries sounded as a fight ensued. The mama bird wasn't going to go down easily. Dark advanced a few inches through the air. A high whistle and an explosion of feathers preceded a triumphant noise from Mat.

"That bastard!" Dark clinched his fist. He couldn't risk going down there. He just couldn't. But he wanted to.

"Just keep a lookout for Miranda," Krad said, ignoring the animal abuse below.

"I know!" Dark snapped. "We've got to head her off if Mat's lure works." The phantom thief's temper was growing. Actually, the same could be said of Krad's.

"Derek, there are chicks! Here, hold these two. I've got this one," Mat said, handing them to his partner and heading back for the shack, or rather what was left of it. The shotgun was held loosely in one hand. If only there was a way to decrease the risk, the guy would gladly be taken out!

"All right, Miranda, if you don't want me to smash these baby chicks, you'd better come to me!" Mat called out loudly, holding the shotgun like a bat over the hand with the single chick in it. Krad couldn't see it, but Dark could. The little gray thing was just a downy ball; a helpless, cute, sweet, little downy ball. It tweeted softly for its mama.

"So help me, if that guy..." Dark couldn't continue for all his anger.

"Miranda, you've got five seconds. Five...four...three—" Krad heard something crash in the woods. Both him and Dark quickly searched for it. "—two...one..." Mat raised the shotgun higher and then brought it swiftly down on the chick. Derek flinched. The thing gave a heartbreaking squeak before dying.

Mat let it drop to the ground.

"NO!" Miranda screamed. Dark located her at once. In a burst of adrenaline he morphed completely into shadow and was behind her in an instant, keeping her from breaking out of the greenery. He cringed as his magic almost rebounded again, sending a spark or two arcing off his hip.

"NO! HE HURT IT! DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID?" Miranda cried, trying her best to tear loose from the thief in her rage. She was going to kill Mat. No one did something like that in front of her. No one!

"I saw what he did. He won't be getting away with it. Now we've got to get out of here." Inside, Daisuke was pitching a fit. Seemed him and Miranda were a lot alike, but the two needed to keep a more level head. Taking Mat on would do no one any good right now. Dark grabbed a branch to fortify himself as he pulled on Miranda's arm. His strength was pathetic at the moment and that sedative was clearly no longer hindering her.

Just his luck.

"Miranda, come out where I can see you," Mat demanded. "I've got two more chicks," he threatened.

"NO! DON'T!" Miranda screamed in response. Branches waved back and forth as she tried to pull herself forward. Dark had to fight harder to hold her. Miranda angrily kicked the base of a tree in front of her.

"Come on!" Dark pulled her as he walked backward, step by step. Finally, she stumbled after him.

"We can't! He's got two more chicks!" she turned and sobbed, using a wrist to catch a stray tear running down her cheek.

"Five...four...three..." The countdown began again.

"NO!" Miranda's strength tripled as she jerked free. Dark fell backward. Before he could recover she was leaping out of the woods.

"There you are!" Mat smiled. "Derek, grab her." Derek put the last chick down and raced to head her off before she could get to Mat and claw his face to shreds. She screamed in fury as her hands were forced behind her.

Dark watched from the edge of the woods. He looked up, hoping to see Krad. Where had he gone? Light crunches alerted him a moment later as the white angel walked up.

"Could have used your help," Dark grumbled in a whisper.

"I cannot turn to shadow to get through a mass of trees," Krad explained. He'd had to do things the hard way.

"You have been a major pain," Mat said to Miranda, silencing the two angels as they watched what was happening across the yard. "My shack is blown to pieces, and tonight hasn't been fun in the least!" The chick in Mat's hand gave a terrified squeak at his rise in voice. Mat glanced at it before crushing it within a fist. Miranda's mouth opened in stunned silence. Tears gathered to stream down her cheeks.

Dark could feel a fury that wasn't just his ballooning inside his chest. He stepped forward without realizing it, nearly brushing passed one of the last branches shielding him from Mat and Derek. Thankfully, Krad grabbed an arm.

"You've got magic, use it!" Dark looked back and heatedly demanded of Krad, only his voice and eyes weren't quite his.

"No. Not after all I have already expended, Niwa," Krad answered, his voice feigning indifference despite his features showing an icy killer. Through his redheaded temper, Daisuke could still feel a tremor spreading through him at the cold and slightly vacant expression. This was the white angel that the young teen feared, and he was glad he was not on the receiving end of that glare for once. Who'd have thought Krad had any sort of heart for anything under all that?

"You son of a bit—" A hand smacked across Miranda's face. A set of crimson and golden eyes glared out from the woods.

"You have no room to talk after what you've put me through!" Mat spat. "When a guy pursues a woman, that woman should give that guy what he wants. Even nature thinks so, since we're the stronger of the two genders." Miranda turned a variety of enraged reds as she gave an almighty screech, tearing loose from Derek's hold. She was on Mat before he'd even blinked. Mat lost his shotgun as Miranda took about half his face off. She wasn't just clawing him—she was grabbing bits of cheek and lip, yanking fiercely and digging ferociously. She tackled him to the ground and continued the assault.

"Strike," Krad said, almost too quietly to catch, seemingly blurring as he jumped passed the trees in a rush.

"That's definitely our cue," Dark agreed, in control and tagging along not far behind.

Stunned by the berserk behavior of Miranda, Derek barely got a warning as Krad approached him first. The flashlight shined on white an instant before he was down. Meanwhile, Mat was screaming from the assault of the woman, demanding Derek get her off of him. Dark ran to and scooped up the discarded 12 gauge, unloading it and throwing it as far away as he could. It spun over the top of a few trees before disappearing with a crash. Amethyst looked back down at Miranda. It didn't look like she would be finished with the guy anytime soon.

"Um...Krad...could you come..._unglue_...Miranda from what's left of the guy?" Dark turned back, catching Krad watching the unfolding gore with a sort of sick satisfaction.

"Sure. I would like to finish him off myself, anyway," Krad agreed, coming to pull Miranda up and off the man's tattered features. She squealed, kicking and punching the air as he lifted her from under her arms. She wasn't appeased yet. It made it fairly difficult to keep a grip on her, and nearly impossible to move away. Miranda had been reduced to a primitive rage. Surprisingly, Krad felt a sort of bizarre kinship with her because of it, though he wasn't appreciating it at the moment. He told her as much and she calmed some, allowing herself to be carted around in search of the four-wheeler.

Dark stepped up to Mat, looking down at him with disgust. Both of Mat's eyes were puffed and swollen, his face severely scratched and bleeding. He needed stitches, and maybe even plastic surgery. In some places Miranda had dug trenches through his skin. Dark didn't feel the least bit sorry for him, even when Mat could only swivel one brown iris to gaze up at him. The other eye—with nothing but white showing—appeared stuck from what could be seen of it from its place behind a slitted, bruised lid.

"I think it's safe to say that we won, Mat. You going to say uncle?" Dark joked, but his demeanor showed that he wasn't in a very playful, nor forgiving mood. Mat wasn't going to get off _that_ easy. The vile man lifted to sit up. He spit some blood out of his ruined mouth and, surprisingly, grinned up at Dark.

"MOVE!" Krad bellowed from the side of the shack. Miranda was on her butt, discarded at his feet. Dark jumped an instant before a gun's report went off. It had seemed like a trick of the eye it had been so fast and unexpected. Mat held the Glock, and though Dark had somehow dodged at near point-blank range, that wouldn't save him for long. Mat was moving the minute amount to target him again. The kaito didn't want to take a chance at disarming him; he wasn't close enough since he'd jumped. He ran for the woods. Krad and Miranda were already running to complete their trek to the four-wheeler.

"Awe! Come back and play, Dark!" Mat laughed like a lunatic. The effect of it was horrible with his damaged face. Another shot went off, biting at Dark's heels and stinging the kaito. Mat cursed his horrible aim. He fired again and again, each time missing, but he kept extremely close. Luckily, Dark made it into the woods without a problem. Mat cursed long and hard then. He wanted Dark dead. He also didn't want to give up just yet.

A downy ball about two feet away squeaked. _Well_, thought Mat, _it's something_. The Glock pointed at it.

The helpless squeak traveled to the woods. Both Dark and Miranda paused in their separate runnings.

"Oh, God! The chick!" Miranda shouted, spinning back around, slipping passed white feathers.

"I forgot the chick!" Dark raced back through the trees, his eyes now a blazing crimson. Somehow the phantom thief had gotten pushed to second in his own form...again.

**'Daisuke, this is suicide!' **the phantom thief warned.

"Stop!" Krad shouted at Miranda before she sprinted into Mat's sight.

Crimson peered from the edge of the woods, quickly assessing the situation as he brushed clinging purple hair from his forehead. Mat had the Glock to the chick, but whipped it around as Miranda suddenly appeared, running from the side of the shack.

Daisuke didn't hesitate, but charged forward, bursting out from the surrounding green scenery. Mat swung his gun back around, his eyes fearfully wide. He didn't like being attacked from both sides and he didn't really want to shoot Miranda, but he had no qualms over shooting the phantom thief. Daisuke braced himself and dodged the bullet before it was even fired. Either he'd miscalculated, or Mat had developed a better aim, because incredible heat scored his left forearm. Though it only skimmed him, Daisuke nearly fell from the shock of pain. Miranda stopped in her tracks, allowing Krad to catch up to her and throw her back out of sight around the flimsy building.

Daisuke caught his footing, countering an overbalance by tapping off the ground with one hand. He gritted his teeth at Mat and continued his charge. Never had Daisuke been so angry at someone in all his young life! Deep inside, the blazing emotion was scaring him.

Mat took aim again. Daisuke dodged well this time as the shot blared off. The redhead—currently purple-haired—snarled. Shaking, Mat fired once again. Daisuke spun to the side, dodging with room to spare even though the distance between them had shortened considerably, making each feat more daring than the last.

Mat jiggled his gun, a terrified look plastering across his face. He aimed again at Daisuke, but no bullet came. Mat jiggled the gun a second time, then lowered it, giving it an incredulous look. Either his gun had jammed, or he was out of bullets. Daisuke grinned ruthlessly. Mat froze, gasping. His wide brown eyes then looked to the chick at his side.

He'd win in some way.

Mat reached the gun over to the chick, raising the metal weapon directly above it.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Daisuke was close now, almost close enough to touch. Mat wouldn't get the chance to smash the defenseless baby bird.

He ran straight for the gun, intent on stopping the decent in its downward arc. Leaping, he stretched for it, the tips of his fingers touching upon the barrel. Red eyes blinked at a sudden, cruel smile.

**'Shit!'** Dark tried to take over to twist in the air with the aid of his wings, but the short warning was over and his wings weren't even halfway open. One last bullet shot out. It was so loud. He was drowning in the noise. Or maybe his own blood? His confused mind began wiping clean at the spread of horrible heat. It felt like lava had been drilled into him. Shocked, his hands flew to the entry wound in his chest as he crumpled, sliding against Mat on his knees. Iridescent purple wavered to shining red, and back again, blinking at the weird smile still planted on the messed up face so close before him.

Daisuke coughed. Blood rolled like a tidal wave out of his mouth and spilled all down his already drenched shirt, splattering Mat's lap and jeans.

_Lung shot... Fatal..._

The little chick squeaked from off the ground. Purple spikes receded to red and black wings withered away as Daisuke relaxed back into his smaller form. He cupped a hand over the little chick with a sad smile, then his eyes rolled back and he dropped face-down.

Mat screamed. What the hell was in front of him? This wasn't what he shot!

Krad screamed. Azure and gold mixed. The world suddenly became engulfed in blinding white and Mat's scream abruptly stopped.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N:**** .o0_0o. How could I do something like this? And in a comical story no less!**

**The end is next chapter. Is everyone prepared?**

**The Lantern:**** I'm sorry I wasn't clear on who got shot last chapter. Thanks for the review! I'm glad the you liked it so much! **

**To everyone: Thank you for sticking with me. ^_^; You have supported me more than you might know. -Huggles- This was a little later than I had planned due to interruptions, raiding on WoW, heat exhaustion, and the more typical writer's block. At the freaking end, too! **


	20. Chapter 20

**-****)*(****-**

Miranda awoke with a start. Her fingernails dug into her poofy chair's overstuffed armrests as she stared blankly at her cold, ash-filled fireplace. How had she gotten here? Finally blinking, she relaxed back into the soft cushions behind her, spacing out for the next five minutes. Her thoughts muddled together as she tried recollecting what had happened previously. What had she been doing before passing out in her chair? Something felt wrong. Miranda glanced across her clean living room and looked out a window. It was late morning.

"What happened last night?" she asked herself. The question spun into the cloudy contents of her mind and got lost. This was starting to scare her. Looking to her stairs, she considered going up to her room for the aspirin bottle sitting on her nightstand. Though something about the stairs were different. They weren't messed up in any way; they were just as sturdy as always, but... She couldn't put her finger on it. Miranda stood from her chair.

"Something is missing," she said, almost sadly, as she turned in a full circle. Auburn hair then shook hastily from side-to-side. "Nah! You must have just had a bad trip. Oh! That's right!" She dug in her front pocket for her recently acquired bag of Angel Dust. It was gone.

"Well, shoot! I must have set it somewhere!" Her hands flew to her hips. That small bag had cost her a fortune! Not to mention it had taken her forever to obtain. People were getting scared on who to trust selling to with all the action the cops were taking. And why were her clothes so dirty? She shrugged, letting it all go. "Hell, it wasn't good for me anyway." Pausing, she wondered when it was she'd begun worrying about her health. The thought was interrupted by the refrigerator calling her name.

The metal doors opened easily to reveal a few treasured foods. An almost empty pot of soup caught her eye from the first row of shelves. When had she fixed that? Great, now she was back to trying to remember stuff. She sat on the floor in front of the opened fridge to think. The last thing she could recall was going for a walk like she usually did at night when she smoked some Mary J. But she had tried that new Angel Dust a little before that... Is that why she couldn't remember even coming home?

"Never again." She hung her head and swore right there and then that she'd never touch _that_ stuff again. Nearly black-colored eyes gazed back up to land on the small pot of soup again. That earlier feeling that something was wrong became suddenly stronger. It was really getting on her nerves.

_"AAAIIIEEEEE! That's cold!"_

Miranda gasped as the voice flitted through her memories. A loud, wholehearted laugh, along with the sound of scrambling limbs over her sleek, wooden floor filled her ears as clearly as if a tape recorder was playing. "Who was here?" She jumped up, checking around the interior of the cottage. Nothing was different about her living room. Her bedroom looked untouched. The bathrooms were shiny and clean. Which was a bit unusual. Cleaning Day wasn't for a few more days and normal guests typically didn't do any housework. This wasn't setting well in her gut. Something had happened—something serious. She leaned against a wall and slipped down it, holding her head, trying desperately to remember any details of the hours before she'd awoken to stare like an idiot into the fireplace. But she couldn't even remember getting into her chair. Shutting her eyes, she concentrated harder.

Nothing came passed a blur.

Suddenly furious, tears in her eyes, she stood with a stomp and winced. That was peculiar. Her ankle had a healing cut and was a little swollen. A memento from her walk maybe? Somehow she didn't think so. Walking back to the living room, she sat back on one of her poofy chairs. It had a new smell about it. She lazily leaned to the side and folded her hand against her cheek.

"Febreeze is awesome," she commented, letting herself space out again. Absentmindedly, she reached into the cushion underneath her, trying to find her secret stash of marijuana. Well, okay, it wasn't really a secret stash considering that only she lived here. It was there for when she was too lazy to get up. Her fingers met with clean fibers. Not even the usual grit was down there. "Damn." Had she hired someone to clean her house and they'd also cleaned her out of her drugs? Annoyed, she flopped deeper into her chair. Some black object barely sticking out from between her floorboards captured her attention.

Unable to keep herself from rocketing up and over to the object, she practically pounced on it. Excitement coursed through her, but she didn't understand why. This couldn't be a reveal-all clue to the mysterious guests she'd been searching for, could it? Shoving the leg of the other poofy chair way out of the way, she gently plucked what was a long black feather out from the hardwood. She stared at it like it was made of gold. Twirling it by the stem of its base, the outside lighting caused a purple sheen to gloss over the feather.

It felt like a sledgehammer hit her full force on the back of her skull. Everything unlocked in her mind at once. Images, sounds. Ugh...Mat had been in her cottage...

Her breath was taken away as the image of Krad sitting in the sunlight on her porch swing came back. How on Earth could she have forgotten him? Had Dark carried out his threat to erase her memory after all? Her eyes widened and her heart actually stopped for an instant.

Dark...

Dark had been shot...by Mat...

She had heard it and had seen the aftermath. Blood had covered everything.

"Oh, God!" Miranda had tears flowing down her cheeks. They wouldn't stop. Not after Daisuke's last expression once again replayed within her mind.

There had been screaming after the incident. Lots of it. Krad's eyes had gone wild and had flickered through a range of blues and yellows before settling on an eerie, almost light-green color. At that moment she'd been forced to blink. Blinding white had flashed from some source to engulf absolutely everything. _That_ was the true last thing she could remember.

Miranda bolted to her front porch. She yelled and cried in vain into the open expansion of her property. She promised one last thing before gathering herself to go back inside her cottage.

"IF I EVER SEE YOU GUYS AGAIN I'M GOING TO BE DOING SOME HOT BOXING!" _So everyone better be alive!_

No one was around to hear her front door slam.

**-.-**

Daisuke awoke to the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Had someone threatened him? A hand was draped on him, against the thick bandages wrapped across his chest. Crimson orbs followed the outstretched arm to its owner, slightly surprised to see Satoshi sleeping close by in the next bed over. The other bed was turned haphazardly, looking as if it had been carelessly shoved into position beside him.

Daisuke's inhaling breath unexpectedly constricted. Abrupt pain spiked through the left side of his chest. Had he gotten hurt? Oh yeah...the Glock. He took a moment to look around. They were in a huge hospital room. It had to be a recovery area. Not much light was let in through the windows, but he could easily see in various shades of gray. Monitors quietly kept track of his vital signs, and blue curtains on the right and left drew neatly back from more beds. A heavy wooden door sat at his far left, cutting them off from the sterile hallway outside.

Suddenly apprehensive, Daisuke tried moving. What had happened to Miranda and that little bird? Or even With? He must have made a noise in his failed efforts, because the next thing he knew Satoshi was crowding his line of sight. His features looked worn. The skin of his face appeared stretched and thin, dark circles were carved under sunken, dull eyes, and his complexion wasn't very healthy.

"S-satoshi?" Daisuke couldn't help but question, his voice rusty and slow from his injuries. Something about the Commander wasn't quite right.

"Daisuke," the other slurred, almost smiling. He then drooped in an awkward slump on the side of the redhead's bed.

"Satoshi! Are you all right?" The young thief tried to help him up, but he didn't have the strength enough to push. Satoshi put his hands firmly against the bed and small guardrail, finally managing to lift up.

"Evra'thangs 'ss all riight." The blue-haired teen teetered precariously where he stood, and Daisuke wasn't sure if Satoshi was speaking about the situation in general, or if he was talking about himself. "Farter ordered...meds..."

"Eh!" Daisuke exclaimed at the mispronunciation of "father". He had to suppress the urge to giggle. His chest just couldn't take it right now. Satoshi buried his face in hands, trying not to stumble in place like a drunk. He hated this feeling! Why did people do drugs? How could they stand this...this...

Forget it. He couldn't think.

The door to their room opened, revealing Kosuke and Emiko. A sharp gasp came almost simultaneously with the lights overhead snapping on. An unopened bag of pretzels and a bottle of water fell to the floor as the mother Niwa stampeded over to her awake son. A fuzzy-brained Satoshi just did jump back into the safety of his bed.

"Mom—please...!" She had him in a hug, and it felt like his head might pop off.

"Sorry!" She released, but hovered over him with fat tears in her light brown eyes. "You came so close...so close..." she choked. "We thought... YOU HAD NO VITAL SIGNS WHEN THEY WHEELED YOU FROM THE E.R.!" Emiko wailed. Kosuke came up behind her and put a hand calmly on her shoulder. "Oh, Kosuke!" She turned into her husband's chest. He gave her a light kiss on her forehead before smiling tenderly down at their son.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"My chest is a little tight. What happened to Miranda, and everyone else?"

There was a pause as Emiko collected herself and went to fetch a chair. Kosuke simply sat on the edge of Satoshi's bed. The bluenette managed to reposition and do the same on the adjacent edge. Emiko came back with a simple chair, pulling it up close to the beds while restraining a growl toward the Hikari. He had helped to save her son, after all. Still, it was a good thing that Kosuke was closest to her and not the blue-haired teen.

"The little bird didn't make it," Kosuke announced sadly. "The stress it went through was too much for it. We found it this morning."

Daisuke sank into his pillows some.

"AND DON'T YOU EVER RISK YOUR LIFE LIKE THAT FOR A BIRD! YOU'RE TOO IMPORTANT TO ME!" Emiko yelled. Daisuke flinched.

"I'm sorry..." he trailed off as his eyes started to water. He glanced away from his mother, noticing a newspaper spilled onto the tiled floor. The headline shown and he gasped at the unclear picture of an angelic figure flying across the sky of Azumano. He knew who it was immediately and what it was Krad was carrying. He felt mortified, even as he wondered why Krad had saved him. Kosuke spied what had his son's attention and rose to grab the paper.

"Your friend Saehara never goes without a camera, does he?" he asked with a laugh.

Daisuke swallowed. "Tell me the full story," he nearly begged. Kosuke turned to regard Satoshi. The teen nodded as if giving his consent.

_Can't think...anyway,_ the bluenette thought.

"It's thanks to Krad that you're here," Kosuke began, as he sat back down on the bed. He looked his son in the eyes. "Krad had apparently tried healing you on his own before rushing you here. The doctors couldn't even tell it was a gunshot wound. From there we were alerted to the situation because of the APB we'd put out when you didn't return home, but by the time we'd made it, the doctors had already thought they'd lost you..._again_. They had been fighting for a while to keep your head above water, in a manner of speaking. But somehow, you came back every time."

"Whoa," Daisuke breathed shakily. Kosuke moved to rub his hair affectionately.

"Kei came here sometime later carrying Satoshi in for treatment of a few mild scratches, dehydration, and exhaustion. The reason he's got a foot in "la la land" is also because of Kei. He had to order heavy sedatives to calm Krad."

"But how could Satoshi be brought here if Krad had brought me here in the first place?"

"Krad had stormed back out soon after bringing you. My guess is that he went back to handle Miranda and the other two, right?" he questioned, glancing at Satoshi. Satoshi nodded before his head lolled back. Emiko chuckled, but Daisuke couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"We haven't gotten much time to ask questions on account of the medication," Emiko explained their lack of knowledge.

Though no one else shared their room, Kosuke continued in a lower voice: "I believe that if one dies, the other dies. You and Dark were treading the line for a while. I think Krad nearly went insane from it, hence the sedative. Or sedatives—strong ones." They all looked as azure eyes blinked at them incredibly slowly. Satoshi looked ready to fall over. He hung his head very low once and it became clear why Kosuke had opted to sit so closely by him. He had to catch the blue-haired teen before he fell to the cold tiles below.

"What about Mat and Derek?" Daisuke asked, afraid of the answer. If Krad had went back after them in a rage, already closer than ever to losing it...

"So that's their names," Emiko said, looking much more cheerful now that the fact her young thief was alive and doing fine had sunk in. Daisuke nodded.

"Satoshi," Kosuke said, having to rouse the bluenette's attention as he sat him back up, "what happened to Mat and Derek?" In a hazy land faraway, Satoshi suddenly snorted. A creepy smile crossed his face. A psychotic laugh emerged from him a second later, ending only once he had completely exhausted his breath. It sent chills up the three Niwas' spines. Was this Krad? Had he...killed the two?

Satoshi drew in a deep breath. Lifting his shoulders and tilting his head oddly, he began talking in strangely clear, but fast pace. "Mat and Derek are in jail. Derek is fairly nice, so I pulled some strings to get him put within the same cell as Mat. They wanted to be together, and Mat promised that he'd take Bubba so as Derek wouldn't have to worry. Too bad Mat looked happy about that." Needless to say everyone was shocked at this admission. The creepy smile came back over the teen again. His blue eyes unfocused further.

"It's got to be the medication," Kosuke said, rubbing his chin as he studied the bluenette. They were all trying to digest what had been told, but it just wasn't kosher.

"No, it's the truth," Satoshi argued, before suddenly passing out with his mouth still open.

"Oi!" Kosuke barely caught him this time. Emiko couldn't stop laughing. Daisuke shrank back on his pillows, a soft smile on his face as he watched his father position his friend out on the bed. He was feeling quite tired...and hungry. But tiredness won over his uncomfortable, grumbling stomach.

"Wonder if rumors of an angel saving the day will spread through the hospital," Daisuke said drowsily.

"Most everyone knows what Krad looks like, if not his name because of sightings of him after Dark. He also didn't act like your stereotypical angel when he burst through the doors with demands," Kosuke commented. "Believe me. We've had our ears full of complaints and questions."

"Oh, Daisuke, before I forget," Emiko said, standing up next to him and reaching into her purse. "You've got to wear this necklace. It's made of silver, so it'll slow your healing rate down some. We've already had to blame most of your recovery on a miracle. If something isn't done about it we could get a lot of publicity on our hands. I don't want you whisked away and labeled as some research project." Out of her purse came a simple, chained silver orb, about as big as the center of his palm. In its indented middle sat a beautiful lightning ridge opal. It was clearly made for a woman. Daisuke held back a whine as she slipped it on him. Instantly, with the metal weighing against his bandages, he felt beyond tired.

Daisuke was fast asleep before Emiko straightened back up. A kiss was pressed to his cheek and both parents took the time to gently tuck the two boys in their separate beds, giving the promise that once they were released from the hospital, Emiko would have a home-cooked feast for _both _of them.

**-.-**

Everything was going according to plan. The heist was well underway and going smoothly. Dark landed on top of the first of two castle-like towers, viewing the black endless ocean straight ahead as he folded his wings neatly behind him. How good it was to be back out in the refreshing night with a waxing moon highlighting the area just enough. The landscape shone like a wonderland. A gentle ocean breeze brought slightly cooled air, tanged with salt. He opened his arms to welcome it, barely resisting the urge to flare his wings and ride out into the current. He had a job to do.

Dark grinned. Peace and quiet time would soon be over. He looked down at his sneaking suit, taking a black-gloved hand to fondly pat one of the three small brown pouches tied at his side. With a graceful lope, he was off to break into the privately owned structure underneath.

'This place is free from the jurisdiction of the Azumano Police, but it could still hold traps set by the owner. Not to mention there is a Hikari piece in here, so Krad will more than likely show his face.'

**'Great. Just take care, Dark.'**

'I will.' The last thing the thief wanted was to get laid up in bed again. That had been worse to deal with than the pain of being shot. Well, almost.

Dark descended the seemingly infinite spiral of old stone stairs slowly. Amethyst glanced over the unprotected side and off the hard steps, into the endless pit of inky darkness below. It was enough to give him a small thrill. If he fell he couldn't open his wings to fly; they were just too wide for this place.

A warped door came up on his left. He ignored it and continued to travel on down. Soon another door came up, and another. He passed all of them, finally coming to the fourth one. Cautiously, Dark pressed a palm flat against the deteriorated surface. Magic bit at the appendage, willing him to leave, but it was weak. The cursed artifact had been holed up here too long, but it was its own fault. Dark forced the door opened and immediately had to sidestep as something jumped out at him. Whatever it was flopped to the floor...

And kept flopping.

"What the..." Dark stared at it.

**'It looks like a fish. A swordfish to be exact.'**

"What were the Hikari thinking with this one?" Dark asked out loud. The fish was about the length of his entire arm, including the nasty looking needle it had for a nose. It flopped about knee-high, then it started shimmying and sliding down the stone stairs on its side, its thick needle-nose leading the way. Dark saved his thoughts for later, hurrying after the darn fish of an artwork.

"Wish it needed water," the kaito complained. Apparently with its magic, it could still breathe on land, seeing as how it never stopped moving. After about half an hour of useless groping and snatching, they finally made it to the bottom of the tower. The thief took a moment to hold his pinching side as he came away from the stairs. "We should have it now, since the force of gravity will no longer help it," Dark panted.

**'I wouldn't be so sure...'**

The fish was flopping about knee-high again, making its way to a missing brick in the wall, trying to get outside...to the ocean... They'd never catch it there. Then he heard it.

Voices.

And not just any voices. Reporter voices. They were outside, filming, waiting to get a glimpse of the Phantom Thief.

"Awe, hell!" It was all right if they saw him, just not the magical artwork. He dashed and made a desperate leap. The fish aimed its sharp nose in the air at him. Dark grinned, having predicted the defense. He purposely overshot the fish, catching himself along the wall ahead of it, then quickly spun, reaching fast to pluck the artifact up by its long nose. He held the thing before him, studying it.

"Fish stick!"

**'More like fish on a stick,'** Daisuke chuckled.

"So, we've got to head all the way back to the top." Dark craned his neck as far as it would go. With his incredible eyes, he could barely see the opening in which they'd came through.

**'Let's get to it, then.'**

Unexpectedly, the whole tower lit up. They were trapped in one gigantic spotlight. Dark threw his arms up to shield his eyes.

"Ready to play, Mousy?" Krad's voice drawled.

"Sure." Dark smiled smugly, blinking the dots from his vision. Amethyst orbs searched for the white angel, but he hadn't revealed himself yet. Dark raced for the stairs. Krad would expose himself at some point to attack, and he didn't have many angles available to him. Which made it good for them.

A quarter of the way up, Krad suddenly appeared in front of him. The hunter swung. Dark leaped hard to his left, descending until he landed on a lower portion of the spiral stairs. Krad followed suit. Grinning widely, Dark tugged open one of the pouches on his side.

"Fire one!"

Krad couldn't fully extend his wings, but they helped him dodge whatever his counterpart had thrown into the air.

_POOF!_

Something exploded into the wall behind him. Gold eyes looked back in midair, seeing flames curl upward and die. He faced back to Dark with an expression that almost made the black angel laugh. The white angel plucked a feather, nearly slicing Dark with it as he landed, but the kaito jumped back to their previous position higher up.

"Hey! I'm giving you some Hikari-inspired artwork here! The least you can do is catch them! Fire two!"

Krad had an instant to see this little phoenix chick—it was mostly white. Krad cursed as he was forced to duck. The thing merrily sailed over his head with a chirp, crashing in a burst of flames right behind him. The hunter was forced to jump down a ways, least he end up with roasted rump. The thief's carefree laughter rang out as he climbed upward in a sprint. The white angel pursued at a distance. About halfway up, Dark was stopped by a fireball exploding right in front of him. With wide eyes he faced backward. Krad was rearing his arm back like a professional pitcher.

"He's actually—" Dark's mumble was interrupted as he had to dodge. "Play with fire, Krad, and you're going to get burned!" he warned loudly, smiling haughtily. "These chicks are trained to follow me!"

"All the better when they get under your feet!" The hunter launched upward into the small space of the tower. It was a risky move, knowing he couldn't fly if something went wrong. Dark untied the last pouch at his side.

"Here! This one's yours!" Instead of throwing the chick directly at him, he arched it. Krad automatically reached to catch it as it came close to him. Dark moved so that he could land beside him. The white angel gently clacked down to the stone, raising an eyebrow at the thief's actions. Dark just rolled his shoulders in a careless shrug.

"What are you trying to pull?"

"Nothing. I just figured you might want one, and I need some help raising them. There's a whole clutch at home. These ones can blow up anytime they get excited. They're a little unstable since With isn't exactly a phoenix."

"You think I want one?" Gold eyes glanced, perturbed, at the chick in his hand. The little thing was covered in white downy. Reddish-gold swirled within its tiny wings, almost as if it was already catching fire. Deep blue, beady eyes looked up at the angel. Krad looked up at Dark. "This changes nothing," he vowed mildly.

The kaito laughed as his gift was accepted. "Let's get back to the chase, shall we?" The thief somersaulted backward, landing to perch higher on the stairs.

Soon, explosions were shooting back and forth within the tower. They stopped as a yell went off. "KRAD! YOU MADE ME DROP THE FISH STICK!"

Another explosion went off. "OI!"

"DID THAT GIVE YOU A HOT FOOT, BASTARD?"

The reporters that had swarmed all around the outside of the tower didn't know what to think. They all just looked around at each other, dumbstruck by the absurd commotion going on inside. Someone spotted a flash of white feathers from far above. It had them all directing their bulky cameras up.

Dark took off from the tower first, flying out over the ocean. Krad stayed the vigilant hunter, closing in from behind. "I'm going to have to take him out of the sky," Dark reasoned, as a sudden bolt of white lightning brought out their usual round of aerial maneuvers.

They dipped low, nearly in perfect sync with each other. A heavy flap and a severe tilt saved Dark again. Krad was a way better aim than Mat had been. The kaito was actually starting to sweat. Another bolt came at him, and Dark angled his wings, soaring into a partial loop. Krad caught on to the move too late—Dark was already above him. Gravity took the hunter down as Dark kicked off from his back, sending the two breaking quickly apart in different directions. Krad recovered, tapping the ocean with the tip of a boot before rushing straight up.

"Kyuu!" With suddenly detached from Dark's back without warning. He felt himself plummeting even as he twisted in midair to see what the problem was. His familiar looked down at him from a lengthening distance above, just as confused.

**'This is going to hurt!'** They may be thankfully over the ocean, but the height they had gained would make it feel like they were slamming into concrete.

'I can land us right, at least. It's Krad's attacks that we have to worry about on the way down. I can't dodge like this.' Speaking of, a bolt coming up barely missed him. Dark wasted a precious second to glare down at the ever closer white angel.

**'Dark! The fish!'** Daisuke exclaimed.

'No worries. I can keep a hold of the fish.'

**'No, look!'**

Dark was busy with crucial calculations, but he couldn't ignore the glow in his hands. He gasped as the fish started melting between his fingers. Correction—melted _into_ his fingers, and hands, and arms... The greenish light was spreading quickly underneath his suit. Dark was left speechless as they hit the water. Remarkably, it didn't hurt that much.

The kaito broke the simmering, rippling surface, sputtering. Moonlight glinted off the new shiny scales on his face. With swooped down and looked him over, jealous. The thief brought a hand above water, staring at the webbing between his fingers. "I'm compatible with a fish?" The thief pulled at his hair and whined. "I look like something out of a two-bit horror flick!" Even the purple strands were doctored in scales, though these smaller ones were interlaced more tightly.

Something hit the water near land, causing a distant hissing and spitting. It was followed by another, and lastly a third one. The continuous fireballs started to cross over—the phoenix chicks following their masters. Through his shock, Daisuke mumbled something about moving before the burning chicks made it to them.

Dark rolled his eyes and began swimming for home, his legs automatically kicking out like a frog's due to his elongated, paddle-like feet. He'd had enough for one night.

That was it. Krad couldn't take it anymore. He skimmed just above the water's surface, close to dropping into the slightly wavy ocean. Although he didn't make a noise, he was holding his stomach as if not to let a laugh loose. Dark growled at him.

"You can have this for a familiar if you want! I don't need another!" With nodded strongly in approval as he flapped, keeping up by his master's side.

"But you look good in scales," Krad argued in a mocking fashion, his mirth sinking into every word.

Dark moved, quickly crossing the short distance to grab a pale wrist. Greenish light flashed again and, confused, Krad's white wings automatically banished as he fell head-first into the water. Tanned skin once more, Dark smirked, looking down into the surrounding liquid. He wanted to see how his counterpart handled being part fish. The smirk was wiped from his face as he was pulled under by an ankle. Krad must have gone around him. Darn artwork bestowed amazing agility to those within water.

Green flashed a third time from underneath, and then another, and another, and another. Finally, Dark lifted to the surface, coughing. A few feet away, so did a silver and gold scaled Krad. Dark traded his coughs for laughter, nearly choking in the process.

"You look like a Christmas ornament!"

Krad's retort was broken by the thief's yelp and almost clear jump above water. There came a whiff of something burning. The kaito looked behind him, then promptly took off in the direction of home. Krad hurried after as a speedy, floating little fireball of his own followed him.

On the shore, Miranda lowered her set of binoculars, laughing. Her new job as a local reporter gave her the perfect opportunity to watch her "friends'" spectacles. It looked like they were getting along fairly well, in a weird sort of way. She was still angry with them for trying to erase themselves from her life, but she'd get them back for that. She hadn't forgotten her promise of hot boxing the two. If only she had gotten last names! But her Google search for _Dark Mousy_ only brought up legends and his patterns of thievery. No one really knew more about him. On that note, she couldn't help but constantly toy with the idea of revealing a few choice secrets.

She raised her binoculars again, hoping to learn of where they were going. She wasn't stalking them. No! She wasn't anything like Mat... She just didn't have any other way of getting their addresses. Miranda gawked at open ocean. They had disappeared! She swiveled to the left and right, sweeping her view everywhere.

"Well, shoot!" she exclaimed, lowering the device. Then, smiling, she turned for her brand new red Kia. Looked like she'd have to be in the business longer to get what she wanted. That was fine with her. Opening the driver door, she petted the mama bird that waited patiently within a box in the passenger seat. She'd rescued it from Mat's later that fateful day and discovered she had a talent when it came to feathery things.

Humming to herself, she started the car and headed for home, ready to write a report for her boss that only a former druggie could witness and stay sane.

**-****)*(****-**

**A/N:**** I want to thank everyone sincerely. Those of you who reviewed kept me going by showing your interests. I now have a complete multi-chapter fic. **

**Special thanks to: Sno-Oki for helping me whenever possible, Dawns Eternal Twilight for the extensive feedback and for being with me from the very beginning, and my Tiger for being the driving force in what I do and for the super plots we go through. I also give a special thanks to Kathrine Daystar and TrintyEve for some cool ideas that helped build up this fan fiction, Sapphiet for her energy, and Dark Hearted Shinobi and The Lantern for always caring. And don't let me forget intelligenceisstupid for some suggestions for this chapter! I'm really glad to know each and every one of you at least on some level.**

**And to new reviewers: I'd love to hear from you in the future! Don't let time damper what you want to say to me! I hope to learn of many newcomers!**

**Oh, and guys, if there is a part in this story that you've read, questioning if I put it in there for you...then I probably did. My way of showing some love. A few have already realized this, but how many scenes have gone unnoticed by those for whom they were intended? **

**See ya later! Maybe in a few spin-offs, and a sequel! We've got to find out what happens when reporter Miranda finally gets the angels' attention again, right? **


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